A 12- year-old girl, Khadijat Sharafadeen, on Sunday emerged winner of this year’s junior Qur’an recitation competition in Badagry, Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual Ramadan event was organised by Real Acts of Kindness (RAK) Development Foundation, an NGO.
Sharafadeen went home with cash prize of N100,000 and other consolation prizes, while Bushroh Sulaiman, 13, and Abdulkareem Eesa, 14, got N50,000 and N30,000 for coming second and third, respectively.
NAN reports that Sulaiman Abdulakem, who emerged winner in the senior category of the competition, went home with a prize of N100,000 cash.
Alhaji Abubakre Ogunlende, the Pioneer of RAK Foundation, said the aim of the competition was to promote Islam as a religion of peace.
“The drive behind the competition is to get our youths involved in Qur’an reading at tender age and to be of good conduct.
“At the beginning of the competition, we sent out application forms for over 100 but only 58 youths responded”.
“Out of the 58 applicants, 18 performed wonderfully and today six of them emerged winners in two categories”.
“We hope that by the time we roll out the competition next year more youths would turn out for the competition, we have just created the awareness now,” he said.
Alhaji Ogunlende, who is also the Alatileyin Adinni of Badagry Division, said that the monetary compensation was just to help the youths to pay for their school fees and assist their parents.
He said the money would motivate and encourage more youths to participate next year, adding that more youths would begin to concentrate on Qur’an reading.
Alhaji Ogunlende assured youths in Badagry that the competition would be a yearly event and would come in a bigger form.
On his part, Alhaji Kazim Ajape, The Head of Department, Arabic Language, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, urged Muslim parents to teach their wards the importance of Qur’an reading.
Alhaji Ajape lamented that nowadays, youths were no longer interested in studying Islamic Studies and Arabic language in higher institutions.
He appealed to parents to encourage their children to study the course in the schools.
The HOD said that studying the teachings of Islamic Religious Knowledge and Arabic Language would make the world to live in peace and harmony.
In his remarks, Alhaji Ishola Akewushola, the Chief Imam of Badagry Central Mosque, venue of the event, commended Ogunlende for organising the competition.
The Chief Imam said that the competition would further encourage youths in studying and reading of Holy Qur’an.
He urged eminent Muslims to emulate the RAK Foundation pioneer by spending their wealth in the way of Allah.
NAN reports that all the youths that participated in the Quranic recitation competition went home with consolation prizes. (NAN)
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