Tazkiyah University: Nigeria gets first female-only varsity
Story by Jessica Mbamah
In a historic move for gender equity and faith-based education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted a licence to Tazkiyah University, Nigeria’s first female-only Islamic university dedicated to Muslim women.
Located in Zaria, Kaduna State, the institution aims to provide a safe and values-driven academic environment for women who prefer faith-centered learning.
The approval, which came alongside eight other new private institutions, marks a watershed in women’s education in Nigeria. But beyond the institutional breakthrough, the development spotlights the man behind the vision, Sheikh Professor Ibrahim Ahmad Maqari, Deputy Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, and one of Nigeria’s most respected Islamic scholars.
Located in Zaria, Kaduna State, Tazkiyah University is envisioned as a higher institution dedicated exclusively to female students, with prospects of employing an all-female faculty, an arrangement unprecedented in Nigeria’s tertiary landscape.
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Prof. Maqari, who announced the development on his Facebook page, said the university would serve both as a centre of academic excellence and as a moral project for social change. According to him, profits from the institution would not be pocketed but channelled into a trust fund to support orphans across Nigeria.
“This is a trust from Allah and an amanah (sacred responsibility). The dream is to give women a platform for empowerment through knowledge, and to secure a future for children who have no parents to provide for them,” he said.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, while announcing the new licences, listed Tazkiyah among nine newly approved private universities.
Others are Leadership University, Abuja; Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State; Bridget University, Imo State; Greenland University, Taraba State; JEFAP University, Niger State; Azione Verde University, Imo State; Unique Open University, Lagos State; and American Open University, Ogun State.
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Although Tazkiyah’s permanent site is planned for Kaduna metropolis, its take-off campus will begin in Zaria before relocating fully.
For many, the university is not just an addition to Nigeria’s higher education system but a reflection of Prof. Maqari’s lifelong devotion to knowledge, faith, and service.
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