Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has raised the alarm that there have been widespread acts of plagiarism by members of the House, saying the development had to be urgently nipped in the bud.
Gbajabiamila, who raised a Point of Order under Matters of Privileges during plenary yesterday, drew the attention of Speaker Yakubu Dogara and his other colleagues to what he called “an ugly trend” of members stealing legislative instruments authored by their colleagues, and laying claim to same as if they were their original concepts.
He said: “It has become a trend in this House now, Mr Speaker, that somebody’s original work would be taken, and his name removed and supplanted with another name by a person who would lay claim to the work as if he is the one who researched it. Such acts breach the privileges of other members.”
He said such acts had seen some members having several Bills in their names, while some others had less, arguing that “even if it is a Bill that is yet to be presented, it is only correct that credit is given to the real author in line with intellectual property rights.”
According to him, it is a thing of pride to any member who successfully sponsors a Bill because of the research efforts he may have committed into it.
“If I leave this House today, and go to somewhere to ask for a job, saying I am the one who sponsored this Bill, it would be wrong for them to later investigate and discover that I am not the original sponsor. They would say I have lied.”
Continuing, the leader said: “We are talking of members’ intellectual property here; so it is time to correct this trend, Mr Speaker. Members should, therefore, desist from the practice.”
Ruling, Dogara sustained the order raised by the House Leader, noting that “plagiarism is an infringement of intellectual property rights, and must be taken seriously,” and directed the Committee on Rules and Business to move against such acts.
