19-year-old Gombe lady gets free Hajj seat for winning Int’l Qur’anic Competition

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has awarded a Hajj seat to Hajara Ibrahim Dan’azumi, the winner of International Qur’anic Competition held between February 17 and 22, 2024 in Jordan.

Hajara, a native of Gombe State, won the first prize at the 18th edition of the prestigious Hashemite Jordan International Qur’anic Competition for Females organized annually by the Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Places of Jordan.

The 19-year-old student of Abubakar Siddiq Community Islamic School, Gombe, who is also a 200 Level Botany student of the Gombe State University, represented Nigeria in the 60 Hizb with Tajwid category and scored 99.5% to emerge first place winner against contestants from 39 other countries.

In a congratulatory message to the Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, the NAHCON chairman, Malam Jalal Arabi, according to a statement issued on Friday by the Assistant Director of Public Affairs in the commission, expressed delight at the exceptional performance of Hajara.

Arabi, who was represented by his Personal Assistant, Usman Nuraini, at a special reception hosted by the state government on Thursday in Gombe, announced an award of 2024 Hajj seat to the winner.

“The NAHCON chairman’s recognition of Hajara’s performance is in line with his tradition of reward for hard work and excellence across board. It is Malam Arabi’s conviction that recognising such achievements would motivate others to replicate the feat while they bear the torch that projects the good values of the religion of Islam,” the statement added.

During the ceremony, Governor Yahaya rewarded Hajara’s excellent performance with a gift of N5 million and also offered her full scholarship package from degree to Ph.D and another N5 million award to her Islamic school “to improve its operations and enhance the effectiveness of students’ training.”