The Centre for Law and Religion Studies of the Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU), formerly Bauchi State University Gadau (BASUG) has received a major boost with funding from international organizations to the tune of $95,000 US Dollars. 

The funding was made possible through a partnership between the University and some leading international organizations which aimed to support the Center’s mission of promoting scholarship and dialogue on issues related to law and religion.

Speaking about the new development, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Academic of the University, Associate Professor Ahmed Salisu Garba, who is currently the acting Vice Chancellor of Al-Muhibbah Open University (AOU) Abuja, said the development is expected to significantly enhance the centre’s research and educational efforts in the field of law and religion.

According to Professor Ahmed, “Sometime 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 centre 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 Center 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 the professorial cadre who know law and religious studies through their writings. 

In addition to that also, the University is to appoint five foreign experts to the programme, Fellows will be engaged in 10 online meetings, followed by a face-to-face meeting for 4 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. 

⁠Professor Ahmed Salisu added that the Center recently prepared and sent a proposal to the International Center for Law and Religious Studies at the Brigham Young University, USA to promote the teaching of law and religion studies in Nigeria. 

According to him, “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 the UK and USA in Abuja on the 14 and 15 August 2024.”

He added, “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 the approval of $25,000 which will be credited to the center’s account anytime soon for the August 2024 seminar.”

Continuing, he said, “It did not stop at that, 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 centre’s operations associated with freedom of religion advocacy.”

This money, according to Professor Ahmed Salisu, is also to be channelled to the Center for Law and Religion Studies of Sa’adu Zungur University.