Tazkiyah University: Nigeria Gets First Female-Only Varsity
NUC approves landmark project of National Mosque Imam, Prof. Ibrahim Maqari
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Nigeria has etched its name in history as the National Universities Commission, NUC, granted operating licence to Tazkiyah University, the first female-only university in the country.
The approval, which came alongside eight other new private institutions, marks a watershed in women’s education in Nigeria. But beyond the institutional breakthrough, the development spotlights the man behind the vision, Sheikh Professor Ibrahim Ahmad Maqari, Deputy Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, and one of Nigeria’s most respected Islamic scholars.
Located in Zaria, Kaduna State, Tazkiyah University is envisioned as a higher institution dedicated exclusively to female students, with prospects of employing an all-female faculty, an arrangement unprecedented in Nigeria’s tertiary landscape.
Prof. Maqari, who announced the development on his Facebook page, said the university would serve both as a centre of academic excellence and as a moral project for social change. According to him, profits from the institution would not be pocketed but channelled into a trust fund to support orphans across Nigeria.
“This is a trust from Allah and an amanah (sacred responsibility). The dream is to give women a platform for empowerment through knowledge, and to secure a future for children who have no parents to provide for them,” he said.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, while announcing the new licences, listed Tazkiyah among nine newly approved private universities. Others are Leadership University, Abuja; Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State; Bridget University, Imo State; Greenland University, Taraba State; JEFAP University, Niger State; Azione Verde University, Imo State; Unique Open University, Lagos State; and American Open University, Ogun State.
Although Tazkiyah’s permanent site is planned for Kaduna metropolis, its take-off campus will begin in Zaria before relocating fully.
For many, the university is not just an addition to Nigeria’s higher education system but a reflection of Prof. Maqari’s lifelong devotion to knowledge, faith, and service.
Born on September 15, 1976, in Katsina State, Ibrahim Ahmad Maqari began his educational journey in local primary schools before enrolling at Jama’atu College of Arabic Studies, Zaria. His quest for knowledge took him to Egypt, where he graduated from the globally renowned Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 1999.
At Al-Azhar, Maqari was not just a student but also an organiser, spearheading religious and cultural programmes aimed at fostering unity among Muslim students from diverse backgrounds.
Returning to Nigeria, he pursued a Master’s degree at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 2005, and, in a rare academic feat, completed his PhD at Bayero University, Kano, in just two years (2007–2009).
Prof. Maqari’s academic career began in 1999 at ABU Zaria before moving to the Jama’atu Institute for Advanced Studies in 2001. He later joined the Federal College of Education, Zaria, where he also bagged a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. In 2006, his commitment took him to Nigeria Arabic Language Village in Ngala, Borno State, a remote border town under difficult conditions.
By 2010, he was back in Kaduna as a senior lecturer at Kaduna State University, and later moved to Bayero University, Kano, where he currently serves as a professor of Arabic and Linguistics.
Parallel to his academic work, he was appointed Deputy Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, in 2012. Since then, Maqari has straddled teaching, preaching, and national service, becoming one of the most visible faces of Islamic leadership in Nigeria.
Beyond teaching, Prof. Maqari has founded and managed institutions that impact communities. He established the Tazkiyyah Educational Resource Center in Abuja, which oversees over 30 Qur’anic and Islamiyya schools nationwide.
He is also an active member of key Islamic organisations: the Assembly of Muslims in Nigeria, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and editorial boards of academic journals.
His scholarly output includes over 20 papers in reputable journals and numerous books. He has presented at national and international conferences, often speaking on themes of education, unity, and the role of faith in modern society.
Despite his academic and religious commitments, Prof. Maqari is also a family man, married with children. Friends and associates describe him as humble, disciplined, and deeply committed to the welfare of the less privileged.
Stakeholders see Tazkiyyah University as more than just another private institution. Educationists argue it could pioneer a new model of higher learning for women in a society where cultural and economic barriers often limit female education.
“An all-female university in Nigeria is not just symbolic; it is revolutionary,” said Dr. Amina Lawal, a Kaduna-based education consultant. “It shows that faith, culture, and modern education can be woven together to uplift women.”
For now, attention will turn to how quickly the institution can commence academic activities. But one thing is clear: with Tazkiyyah University, Prof. Maqari has inscribed his name in Nigeria’s educational history.
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