The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has commended Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, for winning the women’s category at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and awarded her N20 million to support her education.
The first lady gave the commendation on Tuesday when Maryam was presented to her by the Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
She said the award was not only a personal triumph but also a source of national pride, as she has placed Nigeria prominently on the global stage through her mastery of the Holy Qur’an.
She urged Maryam to embrace mentorship as she advances in her education,’ Tinubu said.
Earlier, the Gombe State governor, who was accompanied by Maryam’s parents, teachers, school authorities and other prominent Gombe indigenes, acknowledged Senator Tinubu’s commitment to gender inclusivity and the advancement of the girl-child.
‘We are grateful that she is our daughter from Gombe, but most importantly, she is a Nigerian who went, saw and conquered on behalf of Nigeria,’ he said.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for identifying with Maryam’s achievement through a presidential statement, describing it as evidence of the President’s commitment to celebrating excellence among young Nigerians.
He also stressed Gombe State’s commitment to empowering women and creating opportunities for them to reach their full potential, pointing to the increasing appointment of women into strategic positions in the state as evidence of the administration’s commitment to gender inclusion.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr Mohammed Sani Idris, commended Gombe State for its uncommon passion for education, particularly its interventions targeting Almajiri and out-of-school children.
He charged other state governors to emulate Inuwa Yahaya ‘s approach, saying that if the 36 states adopted similar commitment, the challenge of Almajiri and out-of-school children would be significantly reduced.
Maryam thanked the First Lady for the honour and hoped that her achievement would inspire other young Nigerians to work harder and excel.
Maryam, a student of Abubakar Siddiq Community Islamic School for Qur’anic Memorisation, Gombe, emerged as the overall winner recently in the highly prestigious international competition after competing against hundreds of contestants from several countries.
She represented Nigeria in the category for memorisation of the entire Holy Qur’an, recitation, Tajweed and interpretation (60 Hizb with Tafsir).
Her victory was particularly historic as it came in the maiden year female contestants were admitted into the 46-year-old competition, making Maryam’s win a landmark achievement.