By DADA. AYOKHAI
Edo State has selected 10 reciters to represent the state at the 2026 National Qur’anic Recitation Competition (Musaabaqah) slated for Jigawa State.
The reciters emerged at the grand finale of the state-level competition held for participating Qur’anic students in Benin City.
Announcing the results of the competition, Hamza Umar Usman, the Edo State Coordinator of Musaabaqah said the selected reciters came first in the various categories of the competition.
Usman, said about 1000 students participated in the competition from the local government and the senatorial levels.
He said at the end of the competition 10 reciters which took first positions included males and females were selected to represent the state in the competition slated to hold in December,2026.
He said, the reciters would be camped for a month in order to be groomed more on how to memorize and recite the holy Qur’an fluently and effectively.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Ahmed Musa Momoh, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Islamic Religious Matters said the objectives of the competition was to encourage children to learn and memorize the Glorious Qur’an.
”To promote Islamic knowledge and moral discipline among our youths. To foster unity, peace, and brotherhood among Muslims in Edo State.
To select the best reciters who will represent the State at the National Musaabaqah”, he said.
Momoh, however, commended the State Governor, Monday Okpebholo for his total support for Islamic activities and for creating an enabling environment for religious harmony in Edo State.
In his remarks, Kelvin Danesi, the traditional ruler of South Ibie and the Chairman of Musaabaqah in the state said the competition has been decentrized to ensure that all Muslims in the three senatorial districts participate in the programme.
Danesi said as part of reforming the Musaabaqah in the state, coordinators would be created in the three senatorial districts to coordinate all Muslims to embrace the competition rather than restricted to only Edo North senatorial district.
According to him, I want to say that this is the first time Musaabaqah activities have been held in the capital of the state, Benin City. We are all aware of the obvious reason why all the activities have been limited to Edo North senatorial district.
”But we now think that there must be reformed. Islamic activities should not be limited or restricted to a part of the state. It should be all inclusive and that is why we have embarked on reform.
”This reform is to ensure that everybody is inclusive and included in what the government is doing. We want to be sure that all Edo Muslims are part and parcel of this movement that is why we have decentralized it.
”We have even made recommendations that there should be a deputy coordinator in every senatorial district. With a state coordinator working with him to make this exercise very effective and productive. We have children in Edo South and Edo Central, and I can say for sure that they have not been participating actively.
”This is the first time we are extending the program to the Edo South so that nobody will feel excluded or not be carried along. Those are some of the reforms we are a part of. We do hope that it will be beneficial to the entire community”, he stated.
On his part, Umar Musa Ikhilor, the Secretary to Edo State Government who was the Chairman of the competition commended the
State Coordinator of Musaabaqah and the judges for their efforts.
Ikhilor opined that the competition should be a source of encouragement for all muslim children as well as parents to take the study and the recitation of Qura’nic very seriously.
”I believe by seeing the participation of these children, it is going to serve as motivation for those who have not yet participate”, he added.
He, also commended the State Governor for his support on religious activities across all the faith.
