Plagiarism in the House

Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara recently cautioned members over reports that plagiarism has crept into the operations of the House. According to him there are reports that some members are in the habit of lifting old bills earlier tabled in previous Houses, and presenting same as their original work without giving credit […]

Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara recently cautioned members over reports that plagiarism has crept into the operations of the House. According to him there are reports that some members are in the habit of lifting old bills earlier tabled in previous Houses, and presenting same as their original work without giving credit to the original authors of such bills. Dogara described this practice as serious and he directed the House Committee on Rules and Business to look into the matter.
Dogara had reacted to a point of order raised by House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, who alleged that some members were indulging in the practice. He said, “There is a trend in this Assembly which is legislative plagiarism, whereby names of original authors of bills and motions were substituted and replaced with those of new members.” These members then present such stolen works as their own. Gbajabiamila said this legislative equivalent of shop lifting extended to even bills of the Fifth National Assembly which ran from 2003 to 2007. Gbajabiamila linked this syndrome to the poor research effort by some members who want to be credited with bringing a high number of bills even when such bills are bereft of quality research backup. To such members, he said quantity rather than quality and integrity are more important.
This development which is referred to as plagiarism in literary circles remains is a shameful act of theft and therefore a crime. Besides, it denigrates the contributions of the original author and therefore qualifies as a grave disservice to such. In the light of the foregoing therefore, the mere association of such a criminal conduct with members of the nation’s apex legislature is most deplorable as it casts the chamber as being infested by common criminals who are oblivious of the high premium on decorous conduct which their calling as legislators demands.
Ordinarily bills are draft legislations which stand the chance of becoming laws if they successfully pass through the legislative process. In that context therefore they are expected to be inspired by the circumstances that justify the new laws they act for as harbingers. Such circumstances are ordinarily unique for each situation. In that context the act of lifting bills hook, line and sinker from past authors especially without credit for same, encapsulates several anomalies including the dubious act of prescribing remedies that are patently alien in the face of challenges that require home grown solutions. Such tendencies hardly provide the expected relief and are therefore ill advised.
The foregoing notwithstanding, Speaker Yakubu Dogara needs to go beyond lamenting over the syndrome to finding an enduring solution. While the directive to the House Committee on Rules and Business is a good start, the remediation effort will require a drastic overhaul of the records keeping culture of the nation’s apex legislature. Bereft of functional official archives and museum that are accessible to the public, the operations of the National Assembly, beyond the routine news and related reports by the media, are largely confined to the realm of voodoo practice, as if the enterprise is intrinsically of a secret nature. Moreover the development raises questions over the research capabilities of the National Institute of Legislative Affairs (NILS), which was set up to provide among other services, research back up for the legislature.
The legislature is expected to be the most open and accessible arm of government, hence its records should enjoy easy access by the public. If this were the case, the National Assembly would have benefitted more from superior interaction with the public, which would include insights on the status of bills and motions, thereby reducing the incidence of plagiarism.
Meanwhile as the Speaker’s directive to the House Committee on Rules and Business provides for, it is expected to get to the root of this matter and expose all members who have indulged in this deplorable conduct. Against the high expectations on the performance of the Eight National Assembly following its adoption of an ambitious Legislative Agenda, plagiarism is the last thing that the Nigerian public expects from its chambers.