PLAGIARISM ROCKS UNN, VICE CHANCELLOR KEEPS MUM

March 10, 2022

Azuka Omeje

As the strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters the fifth week, the University of Nigeria Nsukka is plagued by a plagiarism scandal which the management is unwilling to investigate or wield the big stick using subsisting laws and regulations of the University. A big cloud of uncertainty hovers around the campus as forces around the vice Chancellor perfects plot to sweep the matter under the carpet.

Trouble erupted in the Department of history and international Studies when a staff and a church pastor in the good books of the management plagiarised at the departmental PhD seminar. In the presence of Professors and senior academics, the culprit's work was stepped down with a senior member of the department writing a petition to the university with detailed evidence of the shameful act. The plagiarised work belonged to the immediate past VC of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Osadalor; a PhD work he submitted to the University of Hamburg, Germany in 2001.

Over five weeks after, neither the University nor the postgraduate school has responded to the petition in any manner to show desire to correct the rot in the system. The candidate who teaches American history had earlier that week taught the students that America got her Independence in 1980 to the chagrin of the bewildered students. Three students confirmed to this reporter that the staff that plagiarised is their worst teacher who covers his ineptitude with words of God as a pastor.

Efforts to speak to the head of department failed as appointments with him never materialised. Text messages to the Dean were never answered. This would seem to be a design to set aside the petition which many see as a contribution to right the several wrongs in the department and the University as a whole.

Pointers to possible underhand dealings were further noticed according to insider sources when unsubstantiated information came out that a panel set up to address the petition has received no commence investigation. The delay to commence, if the panel story is true manifest as a signal of complicity by the management.

It will be recalled that the alleged culprit facilitated the coming of senator Dino Melaye to grace a faculty event for which the Dean Prof. Mbah has remained ever grateful to the facilitator. It was on account of this gratitude that the Dean is unwilling to approach the University to do the needful.

According to some colleagues of the petitioner who is Dr Uche Okonkwo, a senior lecturer in the department, complaints of sharp practices in the department abound without redress by the university. They said that part of his misgivings was the lack of level playing ground in the university especially in promotion matters and sundry other issues they were unwilling to divulge.

The petitioner, Dr Okonkwo told this our correspondent that he is unwilling to discuss university matters in press but expressed optimism that everything will be fine as according to him 'UNN has a tradition of excellence' in matters such as this. On whether management is willing to do the needful, the next few few weeks will tell.

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