The university, which is located in Zaria, Kaduna State, has commenced operations from its take-off site on Chikaji Road, Zaria, with future plans for a permanent campus in Kaduna city.
Tazkiya University is exclusively for female students and is designed to provide a morally sound and academically robust learning environment that combines modern university education with strong Islamic values.
What many initially dismissed as an ambitious dream has now become reality, following the formal unveiling of the institution - a development widely described as a testament to Prof. Maqari's determination, vision and commitment to female education.
In a major policy statement that has drawn commendation across the North, Prof. Maqari announced that the university will offer completely free education to female orphans who meet the admission requirements.
According to him, any girl who has lost her father, has at least five credits including Mathematics and English in O'Level, and scored 180 and above in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, will be admitted to study for free at Tazkiya University.
"Any girl whose father is deceased, who has 5 credits including Maths and English, and has 180 marks in JAMB, will study for free at our Tazkiya University," the scholar declared.
The initiative is seen as a strategic intervention for thousands of vulnerable girls who often drop out of school after losing their breadwinners due to financial hardship.
Education stakeholders have described the policy as not just charity, but a life-changing investment that will secure the future of the beneficiaries, their families and the society at large.
Commentators have also said the establishment of Nigeria's first all-female university in Zaria is a landmark achievement that will boost girl-child education in the North and the country as a whole.
They noted that female orphans remain one of the most vulnerable groups in society, and Prof. Maqari's gesture offers them renewed hope and access to university education which would have been out of their reach.
Analysts further said the development underscores the importance of unity and collective effort in advancing Islam and the development of Northern Nigeria, calling on Muslims, especially scholars and wealthy individuals, to set aside doctrinal differences and focus on projects that promote Islam and uplift the Arewa community.
Prof. Ibrahim Maqari, who is the Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, is widely respected for his scholarship and philanthropic activities. The establishment of Tazkiya University in Zaria, with its take-off campus on Chikaji Road and planned permanent site in Kaduna, and its free-tuition policy for orphans, is being described as one of his most impactful contributions to educational development in Nigeria.
