A group of international organizations has supported the Centre for Law and Religious Studies of Sa’adu Zungur University, Bauchi State with the sum of $95,000 meant for the centre’s operations and practice associated with the freedom of religion advocacy.
The funding was made possible through a partnership between the University and some leading international organizations which was aimed at supporting the centre’s mission of promoting scholarship and dialogue on issues related to law and religion.
Ahmed Salisu Garba, who s former deputy vice chancellor, Academic of the University and acting Vice Chancellor, Al-Muhibbah Open University (AOU) Abuja, said the development was expected to significantly enhance the centre’s research and educational efforts in the field of law and religion.
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He said, “Sometime in August, 2023, the Center prepared and sent an application for grant to the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo in Norway for an academic fellowship programme to train academic staff on the teaching of law and religion in Nigerian Universities, especially Faculties of Law.
“Our Center defended the proposal in Norway at the University of Oslo sometime in November, 2023. Finally, our center was awarded a grant of about $60,000 to be spent in three years beginning from 2024, 2025 and 2026”, he added.
Under the grant, the Centre is to admit 15 academic staff from (BASUG), now Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU), and other Universities in Nigeria for the 2024 training. The University is to appoint five mentors within professorial cadre who have knowledge of law and religion studies through their writings.
He said that the University was to appoint five foreign experts on the programme; fellows would be engaged in 10 online meetings, followed by a face to face meeting for 4 nights. They would be given six months to produce original academic papers on topics related to law and religious studies to be published in reputable international journals, adding that the money would be credited to the Centre’s domiciliary account under the care of Sa’adu Zungur University.
Another milestone worthy of mention as put forward by Professor Ahmed Salisu, is that the Center recently prepared and sent a proposal to the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at the Brigham Young University, USA to promote the teaching of law and religion studies in Nigeria.
“Under the proposal, our Centre will collaborate with the University of Ilorin, Al-Muhibbah Open University, Abuja and the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NAILS).”
“Under this proposal we are to host 71 Deans of law of Nigerian Universities, the DG Nigeria Law School and his DIGs and 7 international experts from UK and USA in Abuja on the 14 and 15 August 2024.
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“Myself and Hajara Shuaibu of the Faculty of law defended the proposal in Zimbabwe recently at Victoria Falls during the 2024 international conference of the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS).
“Under this proposal, we got approval of $25,000 which will be credited to the center’s account anytime soon for the August , 2024 seminar.
“As the Current United Nations Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Professor Nazila Ghanea, of the university of Oxford, decided to forward an award of $10,000 she got from the Notre Dame University, Indiana USA to the Center for Law and Religion Studies at Sa’adu Zungur University.
“This is to support students on freedom of religion related cases and to provide travel grant on freedom of religion meetings and to support the center’s operations associated with freedom of religion advocacy”, he said.
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