Inibehe Effiong
The governors of Yobe and Adamawa States, Murtala Nyako and Ibrahim Gaidam, have set a very bad example for Nigerians by lifting verbatim a portion of my article titled-“State of Emergency: Before You Remove Those Governors” published
by SecretsReporters here on 22 April, 2014 and by other mediums without acknowledging me as the source. In a widely circulated joint press statement issued today through their media aides namely; messrs Abdullahi Bego and Ahmed Sajoh, the governors stated thus:
“The phrase ‘sole administrator’, as noted by many commentators, is a constitutional aberration which cannot be found, not even impliedly, in any of the 320 sections of the 1999 Constitution”
Who are these many commentators? This quoted assertion was lifted verbatim from paragraph five of my above mentioned article. It is very disgusting to say the least, that leaders at that level could condescend this low, what standard are they setting for the academic community and Nigerians in general? Plagiarism is not just an act of intellectual theft but an attack on our educational system. If they felt that I am not worthy of proper acknowledgment, they should not have copied a portion of my work word for word.
I demand a public apology from these governors without delay otherwise I shall consider seeking redress legal against them.
(I have chosen to contact you through this mail so that you can assist me expose this theft of my intellectual work, you can contact me via 08065142135).
I am a Human Rights Activist and currently pursuing my Bachelor of Laws Degree at the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School.