Nigerian Varsities Full of Internet Professors, Says Ex-VC
David-Chyddy Eleke A former Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike and Director, Centre for Sustainable Development, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Ikenna Onyido has regretted that Nigerian universities are full of people he described as internet professors.
Onyido, who was the keynote speaker at the 55th meeting of the Committee of Deans of Postgraduate Schools in Nigerian Universities, described internet professors as professors that simply log onto the internet to copy works of other scholars and present them as theirs.
Speaking on the theme ‘The Knowledge Paradigm in the Age of Sustainable Development: The Relevance of the Nigerian Postgraduate School’, Onyido said such lecturers plagiarise their way to professorship, describing such practice as the bane of research and development in the country.
“A reasonable number of the thesis that passes through our schools contains plagiarised materials. These are the reasons we have ‘internet professors’ who plagiarise their way up, copying materials they know nothing about.
“I borrowed Prof. Jeffrey Sachs’ phrase in the above (precious reference) and the difference between my borrowing Sachs’ title and what my colleagues do these days to become professors overnight is that while I acknowledge my source, these dubious, crooked colleagues of ours do not.
“In fact, a reasonable proportion of theses that pass through some of our postgraduate schools contain massively plagiarised materials, just as some of our latter day professors in the Nigerian university system are internet professors.”
He added that a certain university in the south-east now produces professors described as ‘China professors’ who were tested and found not worthy to be lecturer II.
In his remarks, the ViceChancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, who was the chief host, stated that research was one thing that stood the university system out, but regretted that the number, quality and originality of research in the university system was poor.
He said the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) once observed that universities were not assessing funds meant for research. He urged universities to articulate their proposals and go for grants, instead of going on the internet to copy works that have not impacted the society, as organisations like the World Bank are making funds available, but universities are not accessing them.
“If we fail to address the critical role of research, we have failed.”
Proffering solutions, Onyido called for increased funding by government for universities, while urging senior scholars to cultivate the habit of mentoring younger ones.
He condemned the attitude of younger scholars who feel there is no need for mentorship and end up doing the wrong thing.