Final year students of the Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), have been charged to improve on their level of documentation of academic research works.
Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, gave this charge, Thursday, January 23, 2014, at the second day of seminar paper presentations he organized at the university campus, as part of requirements for the course, “Culture and National Development.”
Ayakoroma, who decried the poor level of documentation of research work by the students, said that it was not encouraging that as 400 level students, they were unable to present well documented research works and that the situation was totally unacceptable.
His words: “It is amazing that some of you cannot speak creditably as final year students. I wish this kind of practice started in your third year; by now you would have gained more confidence. I am saying this because the third year students are here and next year, if am still teaching this course, I will not be this lenient.”Ayakoroma disclosed that when doing any academic research in the arts, it is imperative that the researcher presents pictorial images in
the work to substantiate the fact that he/she actually did the research. “I just realized that in all the presentations, only two papers attempted to give pictorial images. Somebody is talking about ‘Arts and Crafts as Instruments for National Development: A Study of Crafts Village, Abuja,’ the pictures of that village shows that it is an authentic work. The other talks about ‘Dress Culture as a Means of National Development: A Case Study of Hausa Dress Culture;’ at least, there is an attempt to show us Hausa dresses in pictures because not everybody who will read the work would know what a Hausa dress looks like.”
He continued: “If you are talking about persons, let’s say you are talking about Zule Zu, Tu-face, or P-Square, if you have their pictures, let us see them in your work to substantiate the fact that you did 
a research. And if peradventure you had the privilege of seeing the person, one on one, a picture to show that you actually went to the field and there is a picture of you as the researcher with the person. If you are talking about Calabar Carnival, there should be pictures from the carnival; NAFEST: there should be pictures; CARNIRIV: there should be pictures; Osun Osogbo: we should see the shrine in your own work. It is just that some of you just go on the Internet, see something and you just cut and paste, and you say you have done research.”
Ayakoroma, who said he takes the exercise very seriously, especially as the students must have learnt one thing or the other to help them in their long essays, expressed confidence that should he have the chance to meet the students again to do such presentations, it will be easier as presenters will have adequate time to present their papers and enough room for discussions on the topics treated.
Four panels presented papers on the second day of the exercise, with topics which bordered on Festivals and Carnivals, Sports Culture, Arts and Crafts, Film as well as Food and Dress Culture and other related topics.
Caleb Nor
Corporate Affairs
NICO, Abuja