Plagiarism— An Intellectualism Property Theft -By Bamidele Williams

Bamidele Williams

The alarming and appalling rate at which this cankerworm of “plagiarism” has eaten deep into the tissues of our youths this days and its deepness; its ravaging velocity and its inflammatory high magnitude, is getting unbearable.

Many when asked ascribe this to ignorance or the common saying “ because it’s posted on the internet, then it’s free”
This is totally misleading and untrue.

The use of another person’s language, thoughts, phrases without informing the author concerned is called plagiarism. It is more or less false claim of authorship making it look like you are the originator of the sentence or idea. False claim of Authorship of a book or an idea is regarded as plagiarism.
Also, plagiarism is the act, intentional or not, of taking someone else’s ideas and deeming it as your own work.
Plagiarism is taking someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own without giving credit to the source.

Plagiarism according to dictionary. com definition is also said to be “the use of another’s information, language, or writing, when done without proper acknowledgment of the original source.” However, the critical element of it is the final part. The one thing that ties all plagiarism together is going beyond merely duplicating the work, but also not crediting the source and thus taking the material for yourself.

Why all the “preaching” and analysis;
Does plagiarism even attract any penalty legally?
The answer to this is YES.
Rarely punished in this part of the world because most people don’t even know the position of the law on it.

Morally it is a theft. Religious-wise, it should be placed side by side with robbery.
The fact.

The position of law on plagiarism is articulate and well spelt out as a crime (visit http://www.nigeria-law.org/CopyrightAct.htm).

In 2013, University, FUNAAB, sacks professor, two other lecturers for plagiarism:
A professor and an assistant lecturer in the Chemistry Department of the Federal University of Agriculture , FUNNAB, Abeokuta have had their appointments terminated based on a allegations of plagiarism.
The sack came about a month after another Nigerian university, the University of Calabar in Cross River State, sacked four lecturers also for plagiarism.
Ekiti State University also dismisses six lecturers For Plagiarism and S*xual Harassment in 2013.
There are also many recent scapegoats on this; especially in the academic environment.

The laws are not flux or partial on it

It’s high time we call the people who indulge in intellectual property theft by their real names — THIEVES.

Every creative person, writers, get pissed when the product of their struggle and stress is treated like public property. That is it. That is a fact

This remind me of an incidence that happened sometimes back in some weeks ago.
Just immediately as I finished reading a particular article in one of the dailies, published and written by one of this well-known Lagos-based journalist. I logged in to my whatsapp account to read the recent groups updates and my personal messages;
Lo and behold, it was this very article I’ve just read that this man posted with his name at the end across the groups —
“Chineke’meh” was all I could exclaimed that day and he is already receiving his wanted whatsapp thumbs up. What a cheap plagiarism. And this is one of the writer I’ve always respected his post as it is always educative.
I even went ahead to private message him on that:
“Bro, are you the writer of the article?” I asked and he replied with —
“Yes, my comrade”

Looking forward to when I will see him in person and give him the reward of his labour.
Anyway, since then I’ve ceased to dignify his posts( as I won’t call it write ups) again with the thought of — who knows where he copied this again!
Copy and paste from Nairaland too as a matter of fact is getting rampant, without crediting the necessary source.

It should be a huge issue of national concern, if our thinking are not fresh and our thought process are not original, how do we expect that real development and meaningful national progress emanate from those we call students, researchers, lecturers and professors who are honorably expected to position as pioneers of new theories, and to engage in solving new and existing problems, and devising new applications and solutions to domestic challenges from their stock of knowledge now?

PLAGIARISM IS DESTRUCTIVE. IT IS A CRIME

Bamidele Williams
08134810254
Profcube10@gmail.com

A campus journalist and Convener, OAU pigeonpost .