By Hadiza Mohammed

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting impactful Qur’anic and educational programmes in Nigeria,
‎
‎Mr Saad bin Fahd Al-Marri, Chargé d’Affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Abuja, made the pledge on Tuesday at the closing ceremony of the National Competition for the Memorisation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an.
‎
‎The competition was organised by the Religious Attaché Office of the Embassy in collaboration with the Center for Islamic Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
‎
‎Al-Marri said that the competition reflects Saudi Arabia’s “ongoing and leading role in serving the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah.”
‎
‎‎The Chargé d’Affaires commended the Religious Attaché Office for its clear and impactful efforts in support of religious and educational programmes in Nigeria.

He highlighted a range of flagship initiatives, including the printing and worldwide distribution of copies of the Noble Qur’an, as well as the organisation of local, regional, and international competitions in memorisation, recitation, tajwīd, and interpretation.

The ceremony concluded with the honoring of the winners who achieved the top positions, amid wide praise for the high standard of organisation of the competition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was attended by Dr Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, alongside a number of senior officials, scholars, and academics.

The Acting Religious Attaché of the embassy, Mr Yahya Al-Sufyani was also in attendance.

A landmark announcement at the closing ceremony was the award of prizes by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which included a total of 35 million naira rewards for the winners.

The top winners were also granted the honor of performing Hajj for free as part of the “Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Programme for Hajj, Umrah a programme that reflects the Kingdom’s dedication to serving Muslims worldwide.

NAN reports that Gombe State contestants won several top prizes, including Aisha Muhammad Bello (1st place, 60 Hibz female category) and Nasiru Abubakar and Sumayya Adamu (1st place, 40 Hibz category). (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh