A group, Corruption Watch Initiative has petitioned the Chairman of the Governing board of the University of Calabar to investigate and punish the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor James Epoke, for what the group call, “academic dishonesty”.
In a petitioned dated March 30, 2013, the group alleged that “Professor James Epoke has several publications in journals that are not visible on the Internet, articles that could not be located in the archives of existing journals, and articles published on later dates than that presented in his curriculum vitae. These are, by the recent Council decisions, cases of academic dishonesty for which Professor James Epoke should be demoted like others”.
It will be recalled that the Governing Council of University of Calabar recently dismissed five academic staff and demoted 10 others for what it also called “academic dishonesty”.
In a statement that was issued by Dr Julia Omang, the Registrar and Secretary to Council, on Friday March 15, the school said the disciplinary measure was in furtherance of the institution’s “bid to curb academic dishonesty’’. It added that four of the dismissed workers were allegedly involved in plagiarism while one was involved in alleged financial fraud.
The statement further said the 10 demoted lecturers chose to publish their works in fake or cloned journals and proceeded to submit same and obtained promotion in the process.
But the Corruption Watch Initiative in their petition; accused the Vice Chancellor of same offences saying “realizing how having “faked publications” would affect him particularly with the injustices meted against a number of colleagues, James Epoke and his cohorts have attempted in the last few weeks to post the abstracts of some of the obviously “faked publications” on a paid site called Pubmed.
“These however do not change the fact that such publications ought to have been cited on the appropriate websites if they were not faked. Specifically, out of the 29 publications Professor James Epoke used to become VC in 2010, only 4 (13%) had Internet visibility and were found on the appropriate websites.
“Others fell under various forms of irregularities, such as; having Internet visibility for the abstract elsewhere, being found in the appropriate websites on different dates and volumes from what he reported in his CV or being completely Internet non-visible”.
“In addition to his publications being faked articles, Council is equally advised to note that Professor Epoke claimed to have published more than the required number of articles in a journal in 3 cases. Usually the A&PC accepts not more than 3 articles in a single journal. But in Journal of Medical Laboratory Science, Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, and Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine, James Epoke purportedly published more than 4 articles each.
Council is reminded of the recent punishments meted on some lecturers for publishing in journals that were alleged faked on account of non-visibility on the Internet. Council will recall also that in some cases the number of faked journals was as few as 2 or 3 yet people were demoted and required to remain on the previous ranks for 6 years.
“Here is a situation where some of these journals date as far back as 1990. If these allegations are investigated and found to be correct, which indeed they are, Professor James Epoke should be demoted to the rank he had at the time the first offense was committed, which was 1991”.
ANALYSIS OF PROFESSOR JAMES EPOKE PAPERS AS AT WHEN HE BECAME THE VICE CHANCELLOR OF UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR IN 2010 (as presented by the Corruption Watch Initiative)
1. Tropical and geographical Medicine
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 1.1 | Epoke J, Eko F. and Mboto C. J. (1990),Vaccinated versus unvaccinated children: How they fare in the first five years of life. 42 (2) 182 -184 | Yes (abstract on another site) | Journal not visible |
2. East African Medical Journal
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 2.1 | Epoke J and Coker A. O.(1991) intestinal colonization of rats. Following experimental infection of Campylobacter jejuni. 69(5) 445 -448 | Yes (abstract on another site) | Journal exist but papers not in the website |
| 2.2 | Epoke J., Obi,C.L and Coker A.O.(1992) In vivo effect of Cadmium chloride on intestinal colonization of rats by Campylobaccter jejuni | Journal not visible | paper not included by Coker in published cv |
3. East African Journal of Medicine
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 3.1 | Obi,C. L., Coker,A. O. Epoke J. and Ndip, R. (1995) Aeromonas and Pleisiomonas species as bacterial agents of diarrhoea in urban and rural areas of Nigeria: antibiogram of isolates. 41 (12)n397 – 403 | No | Journal not found |
3 Dept. Of Infectious Diseases. Instituted de la Nutrition Vasco Quirigal 15 Mexico
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 3.1 | Epoke J., Obi, C. I., Coker. A. O. and Elesha, S. O. (1991) Effect of Cadmium chloride on the colonization and histology in experimental infection of rats with Campylobacter jejuni. In Campylobacter V (Ed) Ruiz Palacios and Puerto Vallarta. | No | Publications not found |
| 3.2 | Epoke J and Coker A. O., Elisha S. O. (1991) Histopathology of experimental campylobacter infection in rats. In Campylobacter V (Ed) Ruiz Palacios and Puerto Vallarta. | ||
| 3.3 | Epoke J., Coker A.O.,Elesha S.O and Quadri Y (I991) Extraction, Purification and Schwartzman reaction of endotoxin from Campylobacter jejuni isolated in Lagos, Nigeria. In Campylobacter V (Ed) Ruiz Palacios and Puerto Vallarta. |
4 Journal of Medical Laboratory science.
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 4.1 | Obi,C.L., Nwokolo, S. C., Onyesom, I., Epoke J., Ndip R. N., Igumbor E., Agbonlahor D. E., and Ekundayo, A. O.(1993) Seeming ineffectiveness of the use lectins as epidemiological markers for Streptococcus pyogenes infections. 3: 49 – 52 No Not found in the journal archives http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jmls |
4.2Ndip R. N., Obi C. L., Agbonlahor D. Agbonlahor F. and Epoke J. (1994) Prevalence of Pleisiomonas shigelloides in Edo and Cross River States of Nigeria. 4; 44 – 48Yes(abstract online)4.3Epoke J, and Coker A. O. (2001) Demonstration of adhesions through agglutination of different erythrocyte species by whole cells of Campylobacter jejuni. 10: 62 – 66No 4.4Asuquo A. E., Epoke J. and Enyi-Idoh K. H. (2002) Evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility test methods in Medical Laboratories in Calabar Nigeria. 11 (1) 63 – 67 NoNo 4.5Asuquo, A. E., Meremikwu, M. M., Edem, C. and Epoke J. (2002) Pattern of Smear poisitivity in tuberculosis patients enrolled in the tuberculosis control programmes in Nigerian city
5 Journal of Diarrhoeal Disease Research
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 5.1 | Obi, C. L., Coker, A. O., Epoke J, and Ndip R. N. (1997) Enteric Bacterial pathogens in stools of residents of urban regions in Nigeria: A comparison of patients with or without diarrhoea. 15 (4) 241 – 247 | Yes http://www.icddrb.org |
6. Central African Journal of Medicine
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 6.1 | Obi, C., Coker, A. 0., Epoke J. and Ndip R. N. (1998) Distributional pattern of bacterial diarrhoeagenic agents and antibiogram of isolates from diarrhoeaic and non diarrhoeaic patients in urban and rural areas of Nigeria. 44 (9) 223 – 229 | No Not in the archive http://www.ajol.info/index.php/cajm |
7. African Journal of Health Sciences
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 7.1 | Obi, C. L., Ahamiojie, L. I., Ndip R. N., Obi, A. A., Epoke J. and Igumbor, E. O. The bactericidal effect of normal human serum samples from various blood groups against local isolates of Staphylocoecus aureus. 5 (2) 1 – 3 | 1Yes (abstract in another paid site) | Not found in the Journal website but abstract published at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/17581002 |
8 Diabetes International
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 8.1 | Epoke, J., Odigwe, C. O.E Anyanwu G.O.C. and Opara A. A. (2000) The prevalence of significant bacteriuria in diabetic and non diabetic patients in Calabar. Nigeria. 10 (1) 16 – 17 | No | No Journal called Diabetes International found |
9 Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 9.1 | Mboto C. I. and Epoke J. (2000) Seroprevalence and demographic factors of HIV in pregnancy in Cross River State, Nigeria: A redefinition for HIV prevalence studies. 6 (40) 613 – 617 | No | Yes (abstract in another site) Not on the web site or archives of Global Journal ofhttp://www.globaljournalseries. com/index/index.php/gjpas. But abstract posted on (posted at http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts) |
| 9.2 | Epoke J, and Coker A. O. (2001) Cytotoxicity of cell free filtrates of Campylobacter jejuni isolated in Lagos Nigeria. 7 (1) 13 – 17 | No | No (quoted in Coker’s cv) |
| 9.3 | Udo, S. M., Oguoma C. C., Akpata, L. E. and Epoke J. (2003) Aetiologic agents of tinea pedis among diabetics and non diabetic in Calabar. 2 (1) 33 – 36 | No | Not in the journal archive |
| 9.4 | Epoke J., Igumbor, E. O. and Tichawowona C. (2003) Locally prepared antibiotic sensitivity discs; A substitute for imported commercial discs. 9(4) 453 – 456 | Yes http://www.ajol.info/index. php/gjpas/issue/view/2131 |
|
| Asuquo, A. E., Meremikwu, M. M., Edem, C. and Epoke J. (2002) Pattern of Smear poisitivity in tuberculosis patients enrolled in the tuberculosis control programmes in Nigerian city Journal of Medical Laboratory Science |
10. Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 10.1 | Usoro, A. O., Epoke J. Nnaji I. O. and Udo A. E. (2000) Serum bilirubin level as an indicator of parasitaemia in malaria children in Calabar, Nigeria. 2 (2) 50 – 53 | No | |
| 10.2 | Asuquo A. E., Epoke, J. Kalu, N. M. and Aniah E. J. (2002) Safety considerations in the management of hospital generated wastes on University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. 3 (1) 69 – 71 | Yes (in 2003) http://www.ajol.info/index. php/msjm/article/view/11000 |
2 publications in the same Journal issue |
| 10.3 | Asuquo A. E., Epoke J. and Asuquo E. E. (2002) Antibiotic misuse among High School students in Calabar Nigeria. 3 (1) 72 – 74 | Yes | |
| 10.4 | Usanga,V. U. And Epoke, J. (2006) Seroprevalence of Hepatitis –C virus (HCV) among blood donors in Ikom, Cross River State, Nigeria. 6 (2) 50 – 54 | ||
| 10.5 | Alabi,B. and Epoke J. (2009) Comparison of Acidometric and Iodometric Methods in the detection of penicillinase production by staphylococcus aurens isolates on UCTH, Calabar, Nigeria, Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine 9 (2) 25-29. | ||
| 10.6 | Ogunjimi T. S. and Epoke J. (2009) In vitro antimicrobial activity of Tithonia diversifolia (Sunflower) leaf extracts on aerobic bacterial isolates from wound infections. Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine 9 (2) 75-80 |
11. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 11.1 | Otu-Bassey I. B., Ejezie G. C., Epoke J. and Useh M. F. (2005) Enterobiasis and its relationship with anal itching and enuresis among school age children in Calabar Nigeria. 99 (6) 1 – 6 | Yes http://www.ingentaconnect. com/content/maney/atmp/2005 |
12. Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 12.1 | Bassey E. B., Momoh, M.A., Imadiyi S. O., Udofia E. B., Miri, F. S., Anukam, K. C., Epoke J., Benka-Coke, M. O. and Aluyi H. S. A, (2005) The trend of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients seen at DOTS clinics in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria. 119: 405 – 408 | Yes http://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/1578032 |
13. Sahel Medical Journal
| S/N | Title of Paper | Internet Visibility | Comment/Implications |
| 13.1 | Azeez-Akande O, Utsalo S. J. and Epoke J. (2008) Distribution and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Methinllin-Resistant Staphylococus aureus isolates in a University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Sahel Medical Journal 11 (4) 142-147. |
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