The Last Malpractice

Romans 9:15, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

In that year at the University, it was my first year, not up to three months after I arrived at the school, someone met me, he pleaded with me to help him write his final year exams, I wasn’t aware of what he was into or why he avoided writing the exams, but I accepted because I find it difficult to say no when people need any assistance I can offer. He gave me the course outline; I sat for him, he passed and graduated, but it became a problem.

>>It became a problem because he informed his friends who were facing the same issue, students from different departments and faculties came.

At this level, I had to ask a senior colleague about the circumstances they were facing, and he told me they were cultists. On the campus, at that time, there were cult clashes and cult-related killings, many were on the run.

Despite the fact that I was aware of the circumstances, I went in for them, it wasn’t for reason based on any gain, I asked them for nothing, it was based on seeing them pass and leave the school alive.

I am not God to condemn people because they were cultists, there are some genuine men of God around us who were cultists in the past, the ways of God are different. I don’t judge people no matter how bad they are, because I don’t know what God will do with them the next minute.

It wasn’t about the bad things they got themselves into, it was about what God would do with them later on. It wasn’t how bad Saul was that counted, but how well God used Saul ‘Paul.’
I don’t condemn the ignorant, because they know not what they do, and I know some of them will be of use to God.

If we condemn, what about the message of repentance? Repentance isn’t for people already condemned, so before you condemn, preach repentance, let God be the Judge, for no man is without sin.
People aren’t useless to God because they are cultists, He has time to call everyone, some He called early, and some He will call later.

Let the people who were called early not condemn people who will be called later, he isn’t useless before God because he’s a cultist.

I started malpractice in year one and it helped some good people and also cultists pass. It became prominent that the leader of a cult group invited me, during our discussion, I discovered some of them were pushed to join the cult out of pressure, some it wasn’t their intention—they were forced into it against their will.

Very kind and good people wearing the uniform of cultism I saw in them, so they need help, not condemnation, that was how I saw it, and this is how I still see it.

My malpractices at the University became like a community, even after their graduation, some of them reached out on behalf of their brothers and sisters, some even called on behalf of their wives and fiancées. One brought his female friend, and said, “Her name is XYZZY when she calls please answer, she needs attention please give her attention.”

My involvement in malpractice wasn’t for gain reasons, it was to see people succeed, it was all about compassion.

In all my years of exam malpractice, I wasn’t caught, no matter how tight the halls were. And I won’t say God protected me to thrive in exam malpractice, but I will say He had mercy on me; He sees all hearts.

The last malpractice was after graduation, the following year 2011, I was deployed to Ondo State for NYSC, I was waiting for call up letter, a friend Antione made an offer to assist three students in the Department of French, this time they paid for logistics because I was out of school already.

I was relaxed in the hall because it was an Art Course, I believed none of my lecturers from the Faculty of Science would be there to supervise the exam, but the reverse happened: science lecturers were assigned to the Faculty of Arts , I saw four lecturers that knew me in the hall, one knew me personally. I wanted to leave at that point, but I looked back, there was heavy security, I got trapped.

Amid that siege I prayed to God, I said, “Please, help me for this last time, this will be the last malpractice.” And God heard and answered.

I was in the hall, but invisible to the eyes that knew me, the one who gave me an attendance sheet to write my name was a lecturer who knew me very well, but he couldn’t recognise me anymore, not even a blink of cognizance.

God doesn’t see things like we do, He’s a merciful Father, and His mercies are everlasting. I don’t encourage malpractice anyway, it’s very bad, but you have to know God is the God of mercy, He sees all hearts and knows every intention.

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” He said to Moses.

In our mistakes, may God have mercy.

– Kanayo Ebuka