By Uzair Adam Imam
A lecturer with Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Ibrahim Bello Kano (aka IBK), has described the Nigerian universities as entirely unsuccessful and unproductive, adding that both the lecturers and students are good plagiarists who solely depend on online resources.
Prof. IBK raised this argument on November 25, 2021, at the 3rd Social Sciences Public Lecture organized by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Bayero University, Kano.
However, the lecture generated responses, which eventually led to a debate among the audience. While some of the audience members agreed with Prof. IBK, others disagreed with him.
In response to the debate, IBK lamented, “Some professors never bother to read new information in their declared research field of interest. Only very few among our colleagues keep their head above the stagnant academic pool.”
He added that in Nigerian universities, some lecturers give lectures to the students, who pretend to take down notes. “When it is time for class tests, the assignment or examination, the students migrate en mass to online searches for relevant information,” he stated.
IBK, who seemed to have been speaking from his heart, described how sad he feels seeing lecturers and students openly plagiarising online academic materials.
“Students openly plagiarized online academic materials and pass them off as their own hard, independent research. Some of the lecturers are in relatively the same situation.” He lamented.
The lecture had many influential personalities both within and outside the university in attendance. Some of them included: The Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, represented by Dr Musa Auyo; Prof. Abdullah Uba Adam, former Vice-Chancellor, National Open University, Prof Ahmad M. Tsauni, among many others.
