Nigerian universities’ role in actualizing SDG-4 (quality education) through waqf within Nigerian laws: lessons from Al-azhar university, Cairo

Arguably, for any nation to develop socially, economically and politically, the quality education of its citizens must be prioritized. For this reason, the realisation of quality education (SDG-4) forms part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. However, due to underfunding of the education sector, Nigeria, as one of the United Nations state members, lags behind in the implementation of the SDG-4. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore the roles Nigerian universities can play in achieving SDG-4 through Waqf, in the light of lessons from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Waqf is an Islamic endowment, where a religious and charitable dedication of a person’s assets, without expectation of any material gain, is made to sustain educational development. It is a form of philanthropy with potential for greater education investments in Nigeria. This paper adopted both library and qualitative research methods. As regards library-based research method, in-depth review of primary source such as the Northern Endowment laws, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution; and secondary source, such as articles in journals, electronic materials, text books, was conducted. Qualitative research method involved the conduct of semi-structured interviews on selected participants. The paper revealed that Waqf could be used to fund and implement projects related to improving quality education in Nigerian universities drawing lessons from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. The paper also highlighted legal challenges that could be encountered by Nigerian universities when playing their roles in achieving SDG-4 in the country. Therefore, the paper recommended imperative legal reforms and policies.