Lagos — Last week's announcement of the commissioning of Special Exam Ethics Marshals came as a welcome relief. The thinking behind the idea is to address the incessant examination fraud that has afflicted us in this country for a very long time. The Marshals have the mandate to monitor the conduct of public examinations in the country.

The conduct of public examinations in the country has become such a scandal. But how did it get to this? Could it be because hard work is no longer seen as being the route to success? Has it gone out of fashion? Besieged by a Get-rich quick syndrome, many Nigerians have resorted to short cuts to get to their destination. Hardly a week goes by without reports of the kinds of deception employed by fraudsters to pass an examination they did not prepare for. Some people go as far as paying others to sit their examinations for them.

Related aspects of exam fraud are the 419 scams that ruined our reputation world wide. Despite the entire outcry against it, people still send e-mails out purporting to have some money locked away and seeking assistance to retrieve it! People cheat their way through university and even up to the point of the National Youth Service Corps. It is not unusual to hear of fake Corp members being detected while on their 'primary assignment'.

Here is a real life incident of exam fraud. The 15 year-old daughter of an acquaintance came home from her first try at a public examination recently and told us that the boy sitting in front of her had a text book opened wide on his laps while writing the paper. She said throughout the paper he copied directly from the book on to his examination sheet. "I hope you did not say anything" I asked her. "No" she replied "but it was very shocking" she added. "Welcome to the real world" I said. This is one of the realities in our nation today. If she had blown the whistle she may have put herself at great risk from the boy and maybe from others. For all we know he may have been cheating with connivance of the invigilator. It is not uncommon for invigilators to assist candidates with cheating in examinations. A few are currently standing trial for untoward behaviour during examinations.

Why have many people resorted to cheating to get through life? Many of the values that guide success no longer appear to matter. It is this same disregard for hard work that has plunged the nation into a poverty nightmare. At a recent gathering, guests were making a comparison between Nigeria and Dubai. They noted that while both were oil producing countries you could feel and see the benefits of the oil in the latter country. "But the population in Dubai is far less than Nigeria's "noted someone in the gathering. The guests agreed but said Nigeria should at least be much more developed than it is at the moment. The reason for why there is so much poverty is because funds meant for projects and development are siphoned into private purses. While we may be the 6th largest exporter of oil we do not have much to show for it. This indeed is the tragedy of Nigeria . We are rich underground but poor over ground!

The youth of today are very angry. They see wealth all around them but not necessarily within their reach. So they vent their anger and frustration on society and hold everyone to ransom. These days a trip to the bank is no longer pleasurable. Many have lost their lives and earnings to hands of the bandits. Last week, we read reports of how a bank was blown up and several people were killed and injured during the robbery. We are no longer safe anywhere. Even in traffic one could be robbed.

The corruption, fraud, robberies etc are all part of the wider problems that plague our nation. Some of the initiatives set up to tackle the problems are themselves beset by controversy. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is only just emerging from a cloud of suspicion and sceptism in the public eye. While some level of confidence may have return people are still watching to see if any big shot will go under for their role in misappropriating public funds and inflating contracts.

The brighter picture in all of this is that many Nigerians are tired of the corrupt elements and want to see fundamental changes. We are yet to see the 'Promised Land' because of the corrupt practices of a few greedy ones. This may in part have formed the philosophy behind the setting up of the Ethics Marshals in the conduct of public examinations. We need to revive the passion for hard work in our children. Dishonesty and questionable wealth should not be eulogized. These should be part of the morals that are imbued into them right from primary school level. Every form of the get rich quick syndrome must be eliminated from their psyche. The boy who was cheating during one of the public examinations must have been about 15 or 16 years old. He has started his expedition in life by cheating his way through. This is not right!

Cheating and fraud are by no means limited to Nigeria. The international sports scene has been tainted by men and women who cheat their way to fame. No sport is exempt from this form of fraud. From athletics, weight lifting, to cycling and tennis have all experienced one scandal or the other. The famous Tour de France and similar cycling events have also been hit by doping scandals. Initiatives to keep sport clean have however been successful and strong messages are being sent out. Marion Jones is just one example of how the law deals with cheats.

The Special Exam Ethics Marshals is a laudable initiative. Marshals should be people of proven uprightness in life. Credibility and integrity are key to stamping out exam fraud. Stiff penalties should be the lot of those caught to serve as a lesson to others.

A general Ethics body is worthwhile to have for re-awakening those values and morals our parents and grandparents held on to. Politicians, government agencies, businessmen, corporations, teachers, students, lecturers etc should all be involved one way or another in ethics bodies that will ensure integrity and transparency in the conduct of their activities. Ethics Marshals may even be introduced to every sector to bring back good old fashioned honesty and a passion for hard work.

Schools have crucial roles to play here. The phrase "Catch them young" should not only apply to talent and intelligence. Discouraging life on the fast lane, get rich quick ideas, greed, fraudulent behaviour etc should be built firmly into school lessons. Perhaps the media could be the biggest promoter of the ideals that can help to get the nation back on track and reduce the rogue mentality that is threatening to devour the nation.