Malam Adamu Adamu made the assertion during a public presentation of Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) Book 1 series for Nigerian universities in the nation’s capital.

The Federal Government has stated that people of the northern region imposed education backwardness on themselves.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu made the assertion during a public presentation of Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) Book 1 series for Nigerian universities in the nation’s capital.

Adamu, who commended the National Universities Commission, NUC for its drive in making sure that more private universities spring up in Nigeria, said the effort is paying off in the northern part of the country.

“The North is in self-imposed educational backwardness because the interest of the North is Islam, and Islam is the greatest promulgator of knowledge.

“In 859 AD, one Fatima Al-Fihri (sic), a woman-Muslim woman established the first university in the world, at the time, the Italian universities, Oxford, Cambridge universities had not started, the first university was still existing there, it is now in Morocco.

“And about 100 years after that one, another university was established, the second university in the world before the universities of Europe, in Cairo and just like the first one, this university was established by a Muslim woman, Fatimatu Zahara (sic).

“So the first two universities in the world were established by Muslim women and here people are using Islam to keep women at home. I think it does not make sense,” the minister said.