Prepping for work this morning, I tune to Inspiration FM which is easily my fave radio station.
Two guys who I am NOT fans of were on. I think they were the same two guys who stood in for Wanawana when she was out for a while. I found them too garrulous so I stopped listening till she got back.
Well this morning they were on Dan Foster’s spot and the topic was Cheating. One of the guys told a story of an exam he had to write recently and he drew a blank. He also had no calculator so the invigilator allowed him use his phone. The lady trusted him to NOT google.
Just use the calc app to help. Being that he was blank, he considered cheating and googling up the answers. He most likely wouldn’t have been caught. So he posed the question, ‘what would you do if you were in same situation?’
Lemme share something I heard from my darling Pastor Bimbo (God rest her soul).
She used to tell us then that we can’t say we don’t steal (fornicate, cheat, etc) when we have NOT yet been put in a position when we can afford to get away with commiting such vices and we do NOT. No point claiming to be this or that when you have NOT been tried. Of course we recognize that there are some things one just knows that one cannot just do because of VALUES.
So people called in. My problem didn’t stem from the fact that some people said they will cheat. It came from two things…
1. The brazenness with which they said it and made it look like any other thing you did, you are just dulling and should be ashamed of your choice.
2. The way the presenters tackled anyone who claimed they would NOT cheat. Infact the ones that said they would cheat were praised for their honesty and ‘being true and being themselves’. The ones who mistakenly mentioned that they were Christians were tackled and I do mean TACKLED. ‘Are you Pope John Paul?’ ‘Are you saying you have NEVER cheated?’ ‘People sha like pretending’ ‘The way he even claimed to be Christian was not pure’ ‘Final exam ooo. You would repeat if you fail’ Chai. I was beyond mortified. They were NOT saying this just to TEST the people ooo. They were saying it as a yabis. One even said some exams are wired to enable cheating.
Does it ever occur to people that BEING YOURSELF can also be you telling the truth? If I called in, I would have BEEN myself totally. And being myself means I would NOT cheat. I won’t even consider it.
I was a diligent student so I studied usually, but even then because I had commitments in church and played politics too, I didn’t always study as much as I wanted to. I had drawn up incredible blanks in exams especially final year. I cried after some papers. In some instances, cheating would have been breeze. I didn’t even think in that line. My criminology lecturer (who I had intense love and respect for) would always say ‘It is more homorable to fail than to cheat’
In that final year, I had a GPA of 6.7/7.0 (UI uses 7.0 grading system not 5.0). Infact I had this confession in school, ‘Nobody that cheats has the right to score higher than me in ANY paper’. That’s why I made BEST GRADUATING STUDENT.
I’m allowed to brag some… Hehehehe
See eh, there is something called VALUE.
It guides your decisions whether people are watching you or not. It wasn’t because I was a Pastor in school that I didn’t cheat. I could have been in Kafanchan where no one knows me and still wouldn’t. I recall writing GCE. I had spanked WAEC but momma wanted me to write GCE just because…
In my centre, which had some ‘special candidates’ , they were telling them the answers.
Infact they separated us, and you need to see the way the ones who didn’t pay were hustling to get answers from the ‘special ones’. It was funny but sad too. I was too uninterested. Disgust must have shown on my face. One of the ladies came to me to ask why I wasn’t showing any interest in that charade. She now wanted to help me. I told her to shove it. I turned in my paper and walked out. It was day 1. I didn’t show up again. I couldn’t stand it abeg. I knew either I was beaten or I’ll slap someone. Hehhehe
Same with stealing. No matter how convenient, stealing won’t ever appeal to me.
Same with fornication or aristoism. It can’t appeal to me.
My point is Let your values guide you.
Values by the way is a positive term so good values is just tautology. Make your values. Stand by them even if unpopular. Never ever let anyone make you apologize for your values. And please teach your children same.
There is a paucity of role models out there. BE ONE… Posterity will thank you.
Stay FAB darlings
E’
PS:
Inspiration FM annoys me some times. Today was one of those days. You guys claim tp be a family station. Imagine kids listening to that rubbish this morning….
Btw, dude finally said he didn’t cheat but anyi g’aju onye?
PPS;
Always an Attitude o’ Gratitude starts tomorrow. Whoop. I am ready. Very ready… Feel free to use the comments section to be a part. Lets make this fun and inclusive… Deal?
Lezzdodis….
PPPS
Shout out to Tani who gave me dinner yesterday and took this picture hehehe
I love it so I’m adding it…
Cute yeah?
Nice write up!! This is what, sadly our nation has turn into, very very few people with values. As for me its God that gives grace!!
P.S. Interesting to know that u finished from thew great institution that is U.I. yours truly also finished from U.I.
Great minds jare
Greatest Uites….
Thanks a lot dear
E’
Love this article!!!
There really is a dearth of values this days where the wrong is taken to be the norm… The worst is where parents help their kids become delinquent and nuisances to society… It’s appalling.
I remember one particular exam I wrote in school in my 3rd year… I was almost in tears when I left the exam hall. I had drawn a blank as soon as I saw the paper. I was at a loss as to what to do… all i could do was pray silently and think furiously. Alas! it was still nada! nothing! and this was a 4-unit course oh. My seatmate and best friend glanced my way more than once and was troubled on my behalf but she knew my policy right from day 1 in school…Once we’re given our papers, no communication till we leave the hall so she knew I wouldn’t even answer her if she had asked what was wrong. I submitted an almost empty answer sheet. We came out of the hall and all I could say when asked ‘How was your paper?’ was ‘I thank God’… Looool.
Guess who got an A in that course?? 😀
You see, the issue was not a lack of people to ask. It was the values I had built from my first year in school. I was known for sitting in front and not talking in tests or exams. Infact there was a time in the beginning of year 1 when I heard so many slights against my humble self… 😀
People (especially girls) started beefing me oh. Telling me that “there’s no first position”. I smile now 🙂
I like to tell people that graduating top of my class can and will never be traced to ‘runs’, and that I got my degree by sheer Grace and hardwork even juggling it with numerous fellowship commitments. It was not easy but I’m the better for it today. Throughout and to my benefit, God worked it out! 😀
So, it baffles me when I see or hear people brag about cheating. I’d rather brag about the correct thing and how God’s grace pulled me through.
Giantsparkle…
My darling you raised too many salient points…
I cant agree more
I feel like I posted the comment myself.
Ah they did beef me too ooo. Cos I wasnt cheating but I was spanking way more than the cheats.
And yes God works miracles still. Like we say in my church in school then, God has a pen. And he knows how to use it for his own…
Muah sweets
E’
Oh and spot on on kids and nuisance to the society
Mehn! I just looked at this again… a whole other blog post *covering eyes*
I abs love long comments. I too am guilty so keep em coming sugar
Hehehe
@ E’, permission to reblog ma… 😀
Enjoy darling…
You dey ask before?
Loool
Hahaha!!!
Lemme be a good girl and ask today… 😀
Loool
Ngwanu
I can relate to this… I made a vow in my second year while in the University never to ask and just keep it between me and God. Also adopted a stance to just say we thank God after every exam. That seriously helped o. I started having results that were better than even when I was asking. There was even a case where I had 1 over 30 in the mid semester exams. I was like it is over. I have failed. But as God would have it, he arranged things in a miraculous way, I didn’t cheat or talk but I had an A in that course.
Come to think of it, It boils than to your confessions and just letting Go and Let God.
Yes oh! @ Akpevwe. Our confessions matter a lot. It’s even better when many people believe and confess the same thing on your behalf… 🙂
you know, when you take a stance contrary to the crowd, people always want to see how far you’ll go… Well, I always knew my results before they were pasted because people took it upon themselves to know my matric number and would always check for me… 😀
And even when I was thinking I really didn’t do well in a particular exam or test, whenever we were conversing, my coursemates tended to say… “Is it not you? Abeg, go jare. As if we don’t already know it’s an A”.
And my reply was always “Amen!… From your lips to God’s ears” 😀
Little did they know that they were helping me to confess (in faith oh! Strongly believing on my behalf!! 😀 ) even when I did not believe… *winks*
Oh I can relate ooo.
I can absolutely relate.
Hahahahahahaha
One of my fave scriptures was dont call conspiracy (failure, hard, D, F ,ETC ) what they call conspiracy…
before i knew it, they became my co-confessors…
Giantsparkle, one day you will guest bl;og and I am sure people will NOT know it is not me…
Coolish yeah?
E’
Looool!! @ E’
Guest blogging on E’!! *surprised smiley* That’s just like anchoring on Oprah!!! *covering eyes* 😀
I would love to! I’m pretty sure your blog-faithfuls would know though… 😀
By the way, I’m on a roll oh!!!…as evidenced by the comments 😀
You are so silly. ..
Go and work jor
Hehehe
😀
I’m going, I’m going!!
Loool…
Love you babe!!
Mmwah!
Giantsparkle…
Muah muah
Muah
Love
E’
U indeed are… enjoy ooo
My dear, let go and let God. WE always wanna help God…
Thanks for dropping by darling
E’
Nne iji okwu! u knw i always ask pple n even myself dis questn- dat everybody is doing something, does it make it d right thing to do? Infact dis world has turned up-side-down nt just nigeria. Imagine parents cheating for their children in common entrance??? common entrance ke??? so disgustn n stupid on d part of d parent, after wastn money n payn schl fees for 5/6yrs, d child no go fit write exam pass?…. Was teaching my children in church on sunday abt noah & d ark n i decided to touch d issue of homosexuality wen we got to where go told noah to take in d animals male n female into d ark. ddnt even knw dat d children- ages 6- 12 – wld even knw what it is…… bt some of dem even tried to argue dat some homosexuals were born dat way or something….. well i was beyond stunned n did lots of talkn n explaining to dem wit d word of God…..smh….. things r gradually going beyond bad bt i’m still hopeful dat just like God told Elijah, there r still lots of pple standn for d truth n d right values….. may God help us to continue to stand n teach our children same. Amen!
I love how you ended this
There are people standing for what’s right. Posterity will judge.
And im akl for catch them young ooo. I teach. I should know. Secondary school is already late.
Too sad
Oshay love
More grease with ur kids jare
E’
Reblogged this on Giantsparkle's and commented:
Values… Do we still have them?? What do you think about cheating, smuggling, stealing…?
Thank God for people who still know who they are and what they stand for. There’s hope for our generation, I tell you.
Enjoy this post by my sis… Its an insightful read. My comment on it is almost as long as the post itself. 😀
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the gratitude challenge. Shout out to all those who have indicated interest in it. We’re gonna kick it off with a bang!! I’m really looking forward to it… *dancing*
Enjoy!
Mmwah!!,
Giantsparkle…
Here’s one thing dat baffles and that z d fact moral instructions thought in school is no longer affecting our generations,has d truth bn twisted a little or is it that our ears are now so plugged dat we can’t process them enuf to act on them?
The issue of cheating goes far beyond schools,into the d work force: an additional zero here,a little inflation of the cost price and d outright yahoo yahoo!but na naija dey praise dis ppl!dey sing abt it happily,
Our children den watches it gladly,n wonder wat d fuss abt not cheatin n livin right is!
My dear, which is why I keep saying we need more role models and NOT celebrities…
Moral instruction is still not te answer. I put it all to the FAMILY..
Ingrain morals from a young age…
Ms Eziaha thanks for baring your mind on the issue. I hardly listen to radio these days cos you have people who didn’t even research a topic and didn’t agree on a house style come and say rubbish on air. I studied mass comm and I consult and I know what Nigerian stations do these days is rubbish!
By the way, thanks for ‘bragging’ oh! Be showing yourself you hear?! Anyways, if you don’t blow ur trumpet, who will?
Rubbish oooo
And they have the audience so they do what they like…
I taya
Thanks for dropping by dear
And yea we havta brag jare…
Hehehe
Cheers
E’
“The way the presenters tackled anyone who claimed they would NOT cheat. Infact the ones that said they would cheat were praised for their honesty and ‘being true and being themselves’. The ones who mistakenly mentioned that they were Christians were tackled and I do mean TACKLED. ‘Are you Pope John Paul?’ ‘Are you saying you have NEVER cheated?’ ‘People sha like pretending’ ‘The way he even claimed to be Christian was not pure’ ‘“
All this on a Christian station ba? Hiss…….. I don’t know where this world is even coming to. If you proclaim to do anything besides the so called “norm”,you have to be a liar! Tell someone you can never lie/cheat/fornicate; instead of encouraging you, they jump on you so hard. it seems like admitting to doing what they do helps ease their guilt and justify their rubbish!
Well they call it Family radio station… it is more ‘mainstream’
I was ticked off…
I have no fears for myself. I’ve long made up my mind to stand solo if need be. It is the younger more gullible still in the valley of decision persons I feel for.
For inspiration fm sha, no way im letting my family listen unsupervised. They made a detour a long time ago…
Still my best tho… when I have to listen to the radio. ..
E’