This 'pay-to-publish' journals and books started in Nigeria between 2000 and 2005. It was borne out of the popular 'publish or perish' academic culture, which i think is not peculiar to Nigeria alone.
It must be noted that this syndrome applies not only to journals, but also to textbooks and even conferences. Underlying the trend are three fundamental issues: cost of knowledge production in a society where there are no state or official incentives for such enterprise. Secondly, publish or perish nature of academic life, especially in Nigeria where 'quality' is eternally sacrificed for 'politics', and, lastly, absolute laziness on the part of many Nigerians faculties.
I cannot remember the last time any government in Nigeria invested on knowledge production beyond monthly allocations for salaries, wages and other infrastructure-related items. Beyond paying lip services to knowledge production; I am not sure this is even a concern in the ministries of education, VC lodges, and also in ASUU. Whatever are the concerns of these stakeholders, the point is that this has become a trend and no one, not even ASUU, cares. The problem emanates, on the one hand, from lack of funding or lack of budgetary allocation to knowledge production in most Nigerian schools. On the other hands, it can be traced to the commercialization of university education orchestrated by Olusegun Obasanjo.
With privatization of university education came not just a proliferation of private universities, but also all manners of standardization (bastardization) to, among other things, meet NUC requirements, especially on staffing. In most private universities, lecturers are 'hired', 'loaned', 'borrowed' (whatever you choose to call it) few days to NUC inspection and verifications. CV's are 'cooked' to project images that are capable of assuring, at least, partial accreditation (if full accreditation cannot be obtained via brown envelopes). In addition, faculties from UI, Unilag, OAU, ABU, UNN, etc. are everywhere in Nigeria's private universities as adjuncts, part-time lecturers, etc. Although there is nothing wrong in taking adjunct and part time positions; but where a lecturer is 'adjuncting' in more than two places at a time, there is no gainsaying the fact that quality teaching and researching would be lowered.
How would such faculties not find a way to help themselves when faced with either NUC accreditation or annual promotion? So, it is not uncommon even in UI, Unilag, OAU, ABU, UNN, etc. to find posters and banners asking for contributors to journals that levy between 10,000 naria and 25,000 naria to publish an essay. If this applies to first and second generation institutions; what do you think the situation in third, fourth, state and private universities would look like?
In 2010, I submitted any article to Joseph Ayo Babalola University's College of Management Science Journal and after a very thorough review; i was asked to pay 12,000 naira as publication fee. I declined and retrieved my essay and later published it free of charge with CODESRIA. At the close of 2011, i sent another essay to a journal, which i later found to be domiciled at the Obafemi Awolowo University, and after waiting for many months, i got a mail notifying me about how well received my essay was and that once i paid 120 US dollars into a certain professor's account at GTB and made the few corrections that were requested; my essay would be published. I have experienced same with three different journals domiciled in the US. So, i believe this is a practice that is gaining ground all over the world. Whether in Africa or USA, my position still remain: i cannot pay a dime to publish anywhere and where you have to pay to get published, i cannot bring my self to believe that whatever review (blind or open-eyed, peered or pear-ed) promised will and cannot obscure the fact that merit is gone out of the window.
(IMPORTANT NOTICE: The above must not be construed as saying that the quality of pay-2-publish journals are low, as i noted the journal did a very thorough review. In fact, CODESRIA published the essay without a single correction).
It must be noted that this pay-2-publish journals are everywhere nowadays and it is wrong to assume that individuals are the only ones orchestrating this type of practice. My first example above was institutional. I did challenge the practice at the Redeemer's University too. The argument in support of the practice remains the same: lack of funding for knowledge production.
The second issue deals with the nature of academic enterprise globally: you either publish or you perish. University teachers in Nigeria are never promoted for teaching one million students or for producing 20 students with 1st class (class of degree) in a class of 50 students, but for publishing academic and research papers. So, to advance; you have to publish. Where the rules guiding where you should publish are relaxed for whatever reasons, practices such as 'off-shore' and 'on-shore' publishing will reign supreme. Today in Nigeria, you need, for every stage of your academic career, certain numbers of published works to make it to the top of the ladder. Although this is a healthy and standard practice; however, where you are confined to 30% local or on-shore publications and 70% foreign or off-shore publications; sharp practices will thrive when proper attention are not paid to standard. In Nigeria today, the practice is for Nigerians to go for sabbatical in one of the neighbouring (West) African countries where they set-up journals and put one or two of their cronies on the editorial boards. In return, they also set up such journals (and charge fees) to help out their cronies in, for instance, Ghana, Togo, Uganda, South Africa, etc. In this way, off-shore and on-shore dichotomy is settled and life goes on, as promotion is assured.
Another variant of the above deals with young faculties, most especially those in private universities. As a young faculty in a private university, i write from first-hand experience. Many of my colleagues have approached me on the possibilities of setting up journals. I have always declined on the ground that we are yet to cut our teeth well enough to make such an enterprise viable. What i see almost everywhere is that there is a frenzied rush to move from one grade to another and such journals provided the arsenals with which battle for promotion is fought and won. Private universities in Nigeria are hardly bothered about the quality of publication, where such publication is domiciled, and other related questions. In this way, i know many who have climbed higher on the ladder with paid journals, texts, etc.
The above scenario, permit me to say, is difficult top rectify, especially as universities are springing up everyday and everywhere in Nigeria. When staffing concern, especially with NUC accreditation, is crucial to survival; private universities are hard done to vet applicants' CVs. To make matter worse, young faculties are now moving from one university to another - shopping for employment into higher cadre.
Taken together, concerns for appointment and promotion have pushed publish or perish nature of academic enterprise in Nigeria to yet another level, a peculiar characteristic of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Lastly and this applies to a broad spectrum of things, laziness. Permit yet another illustration. In 2008/2009 academic session, I applied for CODESRIA's Social History Institute and was the only Nigerian among 14 others whose thesis made the cut globally. Prior to this time, i was made to believe that CODESRIA was a cult and that those who had attended some of its programmes were selected on other bases other than the advertised. So, standing amidst other laureates in Dakar, I told the then Executive Director, Prof Olukosi, that i can now confirm that CODESRIA was not a cult. While he laughed, as many others did; he however confirmed that he had also heard the same before. In St. Luis that year, the 21 days training was more intensive, rigorous and informative than my BA and MA years in Ibadan. It was one event that opened my eyes to the fact that our universities in Nigeria are dishing out not just outdated knowledge, but what in Yoruba is called 'aabo eko'.
To make a mark in the academic, young faculties need not just marry only their university libraries, but also need to spend their money on books, which THEY MUST READ AND NOT DISPLAY ON SHELVES. Not many of my generation read, especially once we are employed. When you do not read; how would you know? When you do not research; how would you write good research papers? When your days are spent in idle gossips and nights watching Africa Magic or English Premier League on DSTV; you will certainly and necessarily patronize pay-2-publish journals when promotion exercise beckons.
Rather than investing in books, our concerns are on using blackberries, Samsung Galaxy S II HD, SUVs, Jeeps, etc. We wait for funding to attend conferences and find it convenient to complain that earlier generation of scholars are gatekeepers - keeping us out from the elite clubs - Senior Lecturers, Readers and Professors.
Rather than focusing on researches; even senior faculties daily brood on how much money are available to politicians and how much are available to them. It is for this and other reasons that none of Nigeria's journals are on JSTOR and other repositories. Where are the new researches that will merit selection into such journals? Since 1948; have we succeeded in inventing a cutlass, spoon, or spikes for bicycle? Are these not imported from China even in 21st Century Nigeria and despite enormous ore deposit at Ajaokuta?
I have written about this before: Uganda professors invented a battery-powered motor vehicle and their counterparts in South Africa invented an airplane; our only invention in Nigeria's universities are strike action and newspaper articles. I may as well add - memoirs, blablabla in honour of blablabla!
Adoyi Onoja's journal is not the only one in this category, there are thousands of them in and around Nigeria. It is just unfortunate that Adoyi's attempt to join the 'ivy league' has prompted hitherto unanticipated critique and i sincerely hope he will take this in good light.
Oyeniyi.
--I think we shall all be astonished to see the first edition should academics be found in sufficient number to contribute (in both senses of the word), but I can't say that I'm much looking forward to this new experiment in being invited to 'Never mind the quality, feel the width'!
AyoI invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama--Pay N10,000 to publish article in an academic journal? How are you different from wetin you carry police officers? Wonders shall never end in Nigeria.
From: Adoyi Onoja <onojaa@yahoo.com>
To: USA Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 2:11 PM
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Call for Papers
Current Security
Current Security is an interdisciplinary journal whose aim is to democratize the field of security. The journal seeks to bring academics, practitioners and policymakers' understanding of the related fields of security and development in sync with those of the public. The journal's focus is to chronicle the emergence of the dynamic and diverse field of security. It seeks to broaden and deepen security away from state-centric and regime survival tradition to human beings and development. This is in tandem with the 1994 United Nations Development Programme paradigm.
The journal's interdisciplinary perspective open it to publishing original research on security and development. Security is about people. Development is about meeting peoples' basic needs. The journal focuses on problems and possibilities, past and present. Where possible, comparisons are made between issues, countries, and continents.
Occasionally, calls for special editions may be issued.
Articles should be based on original research, and they can also be co-authored. The journal will be annual.
Interested persons are invited to submit original articles or book reviews for consideration for publication in the maiden edition of the Journal. The first edition is expected to be out before the end of the year.
All contributions will be peer reviewed.
All editorial correspondence to the editors:
Adoyi Onoja Udo Osisiogu
Department of History Department of Sociology
Nasarawa State University Nasarawa State University
Keffi 960001 Keffi 960001
Nigeria Nigeria
E-mail: kurrentsecuriti@yahoo.com
How to Submit an Article
• Manuscripts should be typewritten and submitted electronically or in print. The printed pages should be numbered. The manuscript should be between 3000-5000 words double-space (12-pt font). Book reviews should be between 1000-1500 words.
•Authors are requested to provide a 250 words abstract at the beginning of the article, as well as up to 5 or 6 keywords. The abstract summarises aim, result and conclusion of the research.
•References, in-text citations/quotations, and notes where necessary.
•Please provide a separate list of references at the end of your article. Please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about.html
•Use endnotes or footnotes where necessary.
•Please include institutional address, phone number and email address on a separate sheet. Authors will receive page proofs of their article for correction. The corrected page proofs are to be returned to the journal editors within two weeks.
•Authors of accepted papers will pay N10,000 as ofcost of publication.
--
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