The Centre for Law and Religious Studies at the Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU), Bauchi, has received a major boost with a funding from international organisations to the tune of $95,000 with the aim to support the center’s mission of promoting scholarship and dialogue on issues related to law and religion.
Speaking on the development in a statement issued on Sunday by the former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) of the University, Associate Professor Ahmed Salisu Garba, who is currently the acting Vice Chancellor, Al-Muhibbah Open University (AOU) Abuja, said the development is expected to significantly enhance the center’s research and educational efforts in the field of law and religion.
He added that in August, 2023, the Center prepared and sent an application for grant to the Norwegian Center for Human Rights at the University of Oslo in Norway for an academic fellowship program 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.
Statement further said, he noted that under the grant, the center is to admit 15 academic staff from the Bauchi State-owned Sa’adu Zungur University and other universities in Nigeria for the 2024 training. The University is to appoint five mentors within the professorial cadre who have knowledge of law and religion studies through their writings.
In addition to that also, the University is to appoint five foreign experts on the programme, while fellows will be engaged in 10 online meetings, followed by a face-to-face meeting for night nights. They will be given six months to produce original academic papers on topics related to law and religion studies to be published in reputable international journals.
The money is to be credited to the center’s domiciliary account under the care of Sa’adu Zungur University.
Another milestone worthy of mention as put forward by Prof. Salisu was 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.
He added, “Under the proposal, our Center 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.
“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 grants on freedom of religion meetings and to support the center’s operations associated with freedom of religion advocacy. This is also to be channeled to the Center for Law and Religion Studies of Sa’adu Zungur University,” he stated.
