The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has pledged institutional support for the newly launched anti-plagiarism software, to tackle incessant plagiarism and other copyright abuses in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Director-General of NCC, Mr. John Asein, made the pledge in a statement issued in Abuja, on Saturday.
NCC’s pledge followed the presentation of the Eaglescan Plagiarism Detection Software by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU).
The presentation of the Anti-Plagiarism software was as a result of the collaboration between NCC, AVCNU and other relevant stakeholders to introduce a Draft Intellectual Policy for Nigerian Universities.
Asein decried the spate of plagiarism, copyright infringements and abuses in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and called on stakeholders in the education sector to lead by example and show respect for copyright and intellectual products.
He, however, expressed optimism that the software would help in the ongoing campaign against plagiarism, piracy and all forms of copyright abuses, to encourage academics’ and promote educational excellence.
While congratulating the AVCNU on the successful launch of the Eaglescan, the NCC helmsman assured right owners that the commission would continue to work with them to sanitise every copyright space.
According to NCC in the statement, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), also at the presentation emphasised the need to institutionalise an anti-plagiarism policy in all higher institutions.
Rasheed expressed concern that the twin ills of plagiarism and copyright abuses, had robbed Nigerian universities of the much-desired integrity.
“Having the software is one aspect of the battle against plagiarism. Universities must take concrete steps to institutionalise anti-plagiarism policy that forbids all aspects of intellectual theft,” he stated.
NCC also said the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, also canvassed for upgrading of the plagiarism detection software to a mandatory national requirement for all institutions of learning.
It further stated that the Chairman of the occasion and Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Higher Education, Sen. Sandy Onor, noted that the software would enhance the authenticity of research efforts in the country.
In his remarks at the event, the Secretary-General of AVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, expressed displeasure that intellectual property theft was undermining the dignity of the Nigerian university system.
Ochefu said that the AVCNU and NCC would continue to collaborate and synergise with other relevant stakeholders to address the challenge.
“We need the experience that the NCC has and its institutional structures across the country to be deployed, to assist us in this fight against plagiarism and other copyright abuses,” he said.
The Secretary-General also pledged that the association would continue to support the NCC to enforce its mandate across Nigerian campuses to stem the rising tide of plagiarism and copyright piracy.
The Eaglescan Plagiarism Detection Software is a cross-platform application built on enterprise Java, having robust big-data and search engines with capacity for data search and analytics.
The software allows users to validate title abstracts, primary texts and generate originality check and similarity report, among others.
