Governors of Kano, Niger and Katsina states, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, Mohammed Umar Bago and Dikko Umar Radda, respectively, are among the eminent dignitaries expected to grace the 60th anniversary celebrations of Al-Faidiyyah Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Lagos.
According to the organisers, the two-day event, which will take place from 26 to 27 July, will also feature distinguished guests such as Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, the Emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and Professor Ibrahim Ahmad Makari, the Chief Imam of the National Mosque in Abuja.
Established six decades ago by the late Sheikh Imam Mukhtar Danlami, the academy has become renowned as a trailblazer and leading Islamic educational institution within Hausa communities across southern Nigeria.
This year, the academy is set to graduate approximately 120 students who have demonstrated proficiency in Qur’anic recitation and fulfilled primary education requirements.
Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Musa Ibn-Saidu, Vice Chairman of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of Al-Faidiyyah Academy, emphasised the critical role of Islamic and Arabic education in the community, especially given the minimal amounts students pay monthly.
“You know this is Agege, a very populated area in Lagos. There are a lot of children not going to conventional school, so the only thing we can do to help them is to bring them in here by giving them some education and taking them off the streets, and with this, we are curbing any vices,” he said.
He pointed out that, without engagement in education, some youths fall prey to peer pressure, leading them into drugs, pilfering, and other criminal activities.
“So their inactivity or not engaging them through school may cost the state, because these days and periods of smartphones, every child wants to get a smartphone, and they are not doing legitimate things. So with this affordable education we are offering, we can keep them off the street, and also after school, try to find them jobs to do so; it will reduce their idleness,” he added.
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