Search for Common Ground (Search) is seeking a consultant to conduct a mapping of the cohort of Legal Practitioners and Freedom of Religion or Beliefs (FoRB) Advocates in Nigeria. The mapping exercise will identify the organizations and stakeholders who meet the criteria to be engaged through the Project’s cohort of legal Practitioners and FoRB Advocates across three geopolitical zones and Six (6) States in Northern Nigeria consisting of the North East (Bauchi and Borno), North West (Kano and Sokoto) and North Central (Plateau and Benue). The mapping will also analyze their (Legal Practitioners and FoRB Advocates) level of interest, influence and importance in participating, preventing and responding to FoRB violations and other religious-based violence in target states. Consultant’s research proposal should include a plan to analyze the current context on Freedom of Religious or Belief across states and, criteria for membership of legal practitioners and FoRB advocates into the cohort. The mapping of members of the cohort will consider the engagement of legal organizations, learning/educational institutions, law firms, influential individuals and several organizations both Government and Non-Governmental, including religious/traditional institutions and make recommendations. Candidates’ teams should have experience in religious studies, social research, context analysis, stakeholders’ identification, mapping and analysis, evaluation experience and data interpretation.

Search is an international conflict transformation NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments, and companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with 52 field offices in over 30 countries, Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate, and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including media and training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge, and determine a positive shift in behaviors.

Religion is deeply embedded in all aspects of Nigerian life – shaping not only citizens’ moral values, but also their moral understanding of the world, especially in times of crisis. While there are no official indicators of religious affiliation in Nigeria, most analysts say it is roughly evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. The country is believed to have the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 9% of the population belongs to other (not Christianity) or no religious groups. Religious affiliation is an important identity in the lives of most Nigerians; 87% of Nigerian citizens believe that religion plays an important role in their lives. Religious and cultural pluralism is the daily experience of millions of Nigerians. Notwithstanding the existence of religious tensions, the reality is that most Nigerians want to live in harmony with their neighbors of different faiths. A Pew Research report found that 71% of Nigerians think that it is a good thing for people of other faiths to have the freedom to practice their beliefs.

This presents risks to impact several key overall development indicators, including freedom of religious belief and religious tolerance. Search working with key stakeholders in the sectors as well as the National Human Rights Commission will be implementing a 30-month project to empower actors to prevent and address conflicts along religious lines and advance FoRB in Nigeria. The project will be implemented using a national scope to engage key actors at Regional level covering Six (6) States in Northern Nigeria.

While the geographic scope will be Northern Nigeria, Search will periodically and at regular intervals convene key legal Practitioners and FoRB advocates from the 19 Northern states in a central location and thereafter coordinate them through in-person and online engagements.

Search is recruiting for a consultant/team of consultant(s) to conduct a mapping of the Cohort of Legal Practitioners and Freedom of Religion or Beliefs (FoRB).

Search will be implementing a 30-month project with an overall goal to reinforce the legal, social, and policy environments for improved FoRB in Nigeria. 

The overall goal is supported by two (2) specific objectives and the corresponding Four (4) expected results which will guide the project’s activities: 

Objective 1: The legal community supports individuals at risk of FoRB violations and violence along religious lines. 

● Expected Result 1.1: Legal practitioners and advocates use their enhanced knowledge and tools to address FoRB violations. 

● Expected Result 1.2: Survivors of FoRB violations access improved support services. 

Objective 2: OB2: Attitudes, behaviors, and policies support greater religious tolerance and freedom in Nigeria. 

● Expected Result 2.1: Key stakeholders promote inter-religious tolerance and FoRB within and across communities. 

● Expected Result 2.2: Legal practitioners, government officials, and religious leaders collaborate to address legal restrictions on FoRB. 

Search will be combining an iterative series of setting up toll free lines, digital listening, capacity building, religious tolerance activities, platforms for dialogue, media programming, provide support to victims amongst others to meet the project goal and objectives. Our theory of change is premised on: 

IF religious leaders, security agencies, civil society actors and other key stakeholders leverage new and existing platforms to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and address religious-based conflicts and their root drivers AND IF citizens have access to effective and trustworthy FoRB support mechanisms, AND IF capable and conflict-sensitive media practitioners enhance public understanding of FoRB THEN there will be a decrease in religious-based divisions, tensions, and violence BECAUSE citizens will be equipped to implement a holistic series of prevention, response, and support mechanisms, addressing every aspect of the ‘violence cycle’, including both long- and short-term drivers of religiously-motivated violence. 

3. Goal and Objectives of Study 

As the project is entering the implementation phase, we require a consultant to map cohorts of Legal Practitioners and Freedom of Religion or Beliefs (FoRB) Advocates in Nigeria. The mapping exercise will identify the direct and indirect cohort of legal practitioners and FoRB advocates from Six (6) States in Northern Nigeria. The mapping will also analyze their (Legal Practitioners and FoRB Advocates) level of interest, influence, and importance in participating, preventing, and responding to FoRB violations and other religious based violence in target states. The mapping will help Search strengthen the capacities of the legal community to support individuals at risk of FoRB violations while simultaneously fostering a social and policy environment conducive to inclusive FoRB efforts. It will also document key findings and lessons. The objectives of the mapping are as follows: 

● Map the existing cohort of legal practitioners and FoRB advocates and their location within Northern Nigeria. 

● Identify relationships, connections, and dynamics within the cohort members. ● Identify direct and indirect cohort of legal practitioners and FoRB advocates and analyze their level of influence/power, interest and importance to advance FoRB 

● Provide relevant information on the cohort of legal practitioners and FoRB advocates and document all findings. 

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents:

● Curriculum vitae and one example of a past mapping conducted;

● A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the mapping together with a financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables and a short cover letter.

Note: Only two documents can be submitted, so the technical and financial proposals must be combined, along with the short cover letter.

Applications will be considered on rolling basis and must be submitted on or before Thursday 23, October 2024