The University of Ilorin says its Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, recently won the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) $80,000 {approximately N30.3 million} grant.

It said that the grant was meant to deepen the study and practise of laws relating to the physically challenged persons in the country.

The institution’s management disclosed this in its bulletin issued on Monday in Ilorin, Kwara.

It said that the grant would assist the department in its service delivery capacity as well as deepen the study, practice and understanding of laws related to the rights of the disabled in the country.

The publication said a letter of offer was addressed to the Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdulmumini Oba, by the Executive Director of OSIWA, Ayisha Osiri.

It stated that the grant was offered to the University to enable its Department of Jurisprudence and International Law proceed on a project titled: “Advancing Disability Rights Through Legal Education”.

OSIWA added that the grant would enable the university to build capacity and advance the institutional commitment to develop and introduce a module on disability law in the curriculum at the undergraduate level.

“The letter added that the approval of the grant for the project is also intended to develop a loop of lawyers with specialised knowledge and skills in disability rights as well as conduct research to inform the development of disability policy at the national level,” it said.

The Dean, Faculty of Law at the University of Ilorin, Prof. Oba, expressed the appreciation of the University to OSIWA for the grant.

Oba said: “The grant from OSIWA is a great development for us. It will help the profile of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law.”

The dean reminded members of the faculty that the OSIWA grant was not the limit and that stakeholders must continue to strive for excellence in order to attract more funding from within and outside Nigeria.

Also commenting, the Programme Manager of the Project, Dr Onuoro Oguno, expressed satisfaction with the grant.

He said that the gesture was a testimony of the development and a mark of excellence obtainable at the University of Ilorin.

The Programme Manager said that Unilorin is the only university in Nigeria and one of the three in West Africa working on disability rights awareness using education.

He added that everything would be done to ensure that the essence of the project was achieved through media enlightenment programmes, workshops, interface with religious bodies, law enforcement agencies and the traditional institution.

Oguno listed other programmes to be featured in the project to include debate and quiz among secondary schools and moot court competition for university undergraduates. (NAN)

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