Governor Umar Namadi has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to modernizing Qur’anic education in Jigawa State to make it on par with modern educational curricula.
He made the assertion on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the 40th edition of the State Qur’anic Recitation Competition held at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall in Dutse.
The governor described the presence of young Qur’anic students as “a tremendous blessing” for the state and stressed the importance of Qur’anic knowledge in shaping character and making life easier as he urged participants to live by the teachings of the Qur’an, saying this would help preserve and spread Qur’anic education across generations.
“Having these young students among us is indeed a great blessing for us. We see the great benefit of this Qur’anic recitation competition that is being held. When a person has religious knowledge, especially Qur’anic knowledge, you will see that things become easier for them,” he said.
“Therefore, for these students of ours whom Allah has blessed with the gift of memorizing the Qur’an, we thank Allah for granting us such a blessing through them.”
Elucidating further on the nature of the competition, the governor said the close margin between winners and their runners-up showed the high level of competence among the contestants.
He pledged that the government would continue to promote Qur’anic education through the Tsangaya Education Board, which was established to integrate Qur’anic studies into the formal school system with its own budgetary allocation.
“As a government, we will continue to promote Qur’anic education. This is why we established the Tsangaya Education Board in Jigawa State to ensure that Qur’anic studies are incorporated into the state’s educational curriculum. Just as every sector is given a budget, Qur’anic education will also have its own budgetary allocation and implementation, because we see a bright future in this area.”
He further announced that outstanding students will now be sponsored to further their education, either in Qur’anic studies or in secular fields such as engineering and medicine.
“The government has decided to sponsor outstanding students in this field to further their studies. Whatever type of education they wish to pursue, the government will support them. For those whom Allah has blessed with strong Qur’anic knowledge, we will assist them in advancing as far as possible in Qur’anic studies. For those whom Allah has blessed with the Qur’an and also endowed with other talents—whether in engineering, medicine, or other fields—we will also support them to continue their education.”
Governor Namadi recalled Jigawa’s successful hosting of an international Qur’anic recitation contest introduced to Nigeria by the Imam of Madinah and revealed that the state has been granted approval to host the 2026 National Qur’anic Recitation Competition.
“Alhamdulillah, it was successfully conducted. As a government, we will continue to provide support and sponsorship for such initiatives,” he remarked.
He praised the State Bureau of Islamic Education, the Tsangaya Education Board, and the Ministry of Higher Education for their efforts in advancing Qur’anic education.
The 2025 edition of the competition featured male and female contestants in different categories covering the recitation of two, ten, thirty, and sixty parts of the Holy Qur’an.
