Lamido Sanusi Accused of Plagiarism, Faced with Lawsuit

A US-based professor of Nigerian descent has sued the Governor of the CBN to court, accusing him of plagiarizing his works. Professor Dike who is a staff of the University of Sacramento, California says Sanusi breached his intellectual property rights by copying verbatim without citation or reference to the original author.

The plaintiff claims his works including ‘Review of the challenges facing the Nigerian economy: (Is national development possible without technological capability?), published in the Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 12), an article titled ‘Nigeria: Reform efforts and the unresolved socio-economic problems’, adapted from chapter nine of the book ‘Democracy and political life in Nigeria (2nd edition), as well as a write up titled ‘Nigeria’s bad governance and weak institution: Is the 2020 project achievable?; and ‘The state of education in Nigeria and the health of the nation’, published by the NESG Economic Indicators, vol. 8, No. 1, January-March 2002.

The Professor accused Sanusi copied verbatim from his works in a public lecture delivered at the 8th Convocation Ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, on November 26, 2010, titled ‘Growth prospects for the Nigerian economy’, and another public lecture at the Convocation Square, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, on December 10, 2010, titled ‘Global financial meltdown and the reforms in the Nigerian banking sector’.

The professor informed SAnusi of the breach, and Sanusi said he was properly referenced.

The professor in dispute is seeking legal redress in the form of compensation in the form of N 15 million.