LAGOS, Nigeria – July 23, 2025
One of Nigeria’s largest Islamic organizations is launching a career empowerment platform to integrate graduates of religious studies into the nation’s modern economy, tackling the growing marginalization of scholars educated in Arabic and Islamic traditions.
The Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT) announced the Career Empowerment in Arabic and Islamic Learning Initiative (CEAILI), a project designed to bridge the gap between traditional Islamic education and the skills required by Nigeria’s largely westernized formal sector. The initiative aims to reposition graduates from local madrasahs and foreign Arab universities who struggle to find viable career paths.
The plan was conceived during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, where Nigerian Islamic leaders raised alarms over rising unemployment among this demographic.
“It is an obligation to transform knowledge into productive citizenship,” NASFAT’s Chief Missioner, Imam Abdul-Azeez Onike, said in a statement. He positioned the initiative as a direct response to the economic exclusion of these graduates, citing a need to address an overlooked national challenge of underutilized intellectual capital.
The CEAILI platform will operate on a five-point agenda:
Mentoring alumni of Islamic institutions for careers and further education.
Providing career transition programs for graduates of foreign Arab universities.
Building a collaborative network of Arabic school administrators.
Advocating for policy reforms to formally recognize Islamic education credentials.
Forging partnerships with employers, universities, and government agencies.
The initiative is being framed as a strategic move to address Nigeria’s persistent youth unemployment by creating pathways for a segment of the educated population that has historically been siloed. Expected outcomes include improved employability for Arabic-educated individuals and a push to modernize the Islamic education curriculum with value-added skills.
NASFAT, a prominent faith-based organization with a significant socio-religious agenda, received unanimous approval for the program from its National Executive Council on June 28.
Further details on pilot programs and implementation timelines for CEAILI are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
