The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has given N20m to Maryam Ibrahim Dan’Azumi, who recently won the King Abdulaziz International Qur’anic Competition in Saudi Arabia.
The money was presented to Maryam at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday when Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, led a delegation to present her to the First Lady.
Yahaya disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, saying he appreciated Tinubu for the “warm reception and N20m support towards Maryam’s education.”
Maryam, a student of Abubakar Siddiq Community School for Qur’anic Memorisation in Gombe, emerged the overall winner of the second category of the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’an Recitation Competition held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
She competed in the category covering memorisation of the entire Holy Qur’an, recitation, Tajweed and interpretation, scoring 97.70 marks.
Her victory came in the first edition of the 46-year-old competition to admit female contestants.
Maryam’s achievement came with a reported prize of N120m from the Saudi competition.
A statement signed by the Director-General (Press Affairs), Government House, Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli, said the first lady described the Qur’anic scholar as a source of pride to Nigerian women and the girl-child.
“Maryam has brought joy to us. You have made us proud by conquering the world, especially in this area of faith and divine knowledge,” the First Lady said.
Mrs Tinubu hailed Maryam’s father for giving her a sound upbringing, which she said had translated into honour for Nigeria, Gombe State, the family and Maryam herself.
She urged the teenager to remain focused on her education and embrace mentorship as she progresses academically, assuring her of support towards attaining a master’s degree.
The First Lady subsequently presented Maryam with the N20 million reward in recognition of her international achievement.
Yahaya said Maryam had distinguished herself in Qur’anic recitation competitions from the local government level, progressing to the state and national stages before qualifying to represent Nigeria at the international competition in Saudi Arabia.
The Governor described her victory as a source of pride to Gombe State and Nigeria.
Responding, Maryam thanked the First Lady for the reception, honour and support accorded her.
She said participating in the competition in Saudi Arabia provided her an opportunity to interact with contestants from different parts of the world.
Maryam expressed hope that her success would encourage other young Nigerians to work harder, remain dedicated to their pursuits and strive for excellence.
