First Lady Presents Qur’an Competition Winner Maryam Dan’Azumi With N20m
The First Lady honoured the 19-year-old Gombe scholar at the Presidential Villa after her historic victory at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition in Saudi Arabia.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has awarded N20 million to Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, the Gombe State Qur’anic scholar who emerged first in the women’s second branch of the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Tinubu presented the award to Dan’Azumi on Tuesday in Abuja after receiving the young scholar, who was accompanied by her father, Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and other members of the state government.
The First Lady described Dan’Azumi’s achievement as a source of pride for Nigeria and an inspiration to the girl child, while commending her parents, teachers and mentors for nurturing her Qur’anic talent.
She said the achievement demonstrated the value of hard work, discipline and dedication, and announced her willingness to support Dan’Azumi’s pursuit of postgraduate education.
Tinubu also cited Dan’Azumi’s elder sister, Hajara, who won a similar international Qur’anic competition in Jordan in 2024, describing the sisters as examples for young Nigerians.
Yahaya described Dan’Azumi’s achievement as a source of pride to Gombe State and Nigeria, noting that she had progressed through local and national Qur’anic competitions before reaching the international stage.
Responding, Dan’Azumi thanked the First Lady for the honour and said her participation in the Saudi competition had given her valuable global exposure.
She urged young Nigerians to develop themselves mentally and physically and expressed hope that her achievement would encourage others to work harder and excel.
Dan’Azumi emerged first in the women’s second branch of the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition, which requires contestants to memorise the entire Qur’an with proper recitation and Tajweed while demonstrating understanding of Qur’anic vocabulary. She received a prize of 300,000 Saudi riyals.
The competition, organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, brought together 334 contestants representing 133 countries. Dan’Azumi was among 50 winners across the five competition branches, while another Nigerian, Muhammad Marafa Abdullah, placed fifth in the corresponding men’s second branch.
Her victory also carried historical significance: the 46th edition was the first in the competition’s history to include a women’s section. Dan’Azumi, a student of Abubakar Siddiq Community Islamic School for Qur’anic Memorisation in Gombe, therefore became the first female winner of the long-running international competition.
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