The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammed Bello, on Friday presented a new Hyundai car 2017 model and N 500,000 to a 20-year-old contestant, Maimuna Hussaini, who emerged overall winner of 60 Hizif female category of National Qur’anic Recitation Competition.
The 32nd National Qur’anic Recitation Competition was organised by the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and held in Katsina State from Feb. 23 to March 3, with 156 participants from 32 states and FCT.
Maimuna, who is a 300-level student of the Department of Bio-Chemistry, Ahamadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, hails from Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.
The winner, who represented FCT in the competition, was also presented with a Digital Qur’an and a laptop computer by the Minister at a brief ceremony held at the National Mosque, Abuja.
The minister, who was represented by Sen. Isa Maina, Secretary of FCT Education Secretariat, urged parents and guardians to invest heavily in moral education of their children.
Bello, who said that moral education was very essential to moral upbringing of every child, assured of the readiness of the FCT administration to support any efforts aimed at instilling good virtues in children.
“ We believe that a lot of the problems we have in this country has to do with moral upbringing; for some reasons we got a generation whereby moral education has taken a back seat.
“ I know when I was young, moral education was very essential to upbringing of every child but unfortunately, these days the story is not the same.
“ I can assure FCT Qur’anic Foundation that we are your partners and we have a responsibility to support moral education of children in FCT, “ he said.
He expressed the determination of the FCT education secretariat to support the education of the winner to the higher level.
Alhaji Idris Musa, Emir of Jiwa and Chairman Board of Trustees, FCT Qur’anic Recitation Foundation, expressed delight for having FCT indigene as the overall winner of such a national competition.
“ The winner has done us proud, it is kudos to her parents and a thing of joy to the people of FCT and Nigeria,“ Musa said.
The emir, who disclosed that the foundation had acquired a portion of land to build Tsangaya school, solicited the assistance of FCT minister to handover the existing FCT Tsangaya facility to the foundation.
Musa also appealed to wealthy Muslims in the country to support the foundation financially to enable it to continue to mentor children to memorise the Holy Qur’an.
The Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Counci, Alhaji Mustapha Adamu, said that the council would organise a big reception for the winner as part of efforts to inspire others to emulate her.
The father of the winner, Alhaji Hussani Abubakar, expressed gratitude to the almighty Allah for blessing him with a daughter that memorised the Holy Qur’an.
Abubakar advised parents and guardians to invest in the education of their children as the best legacy to live behind for their children.
Gifts were also presented to other participants who represented FCT in the just concluded National Qur’anic Recitation Competition.