NYSC: MY STORY

N.Y.S.C = National Youth Service Corps

National Youth Service Year is something almost every graduate looks forward to. As a secondary school student, I always admired corpers in their outifit (the khaki and crested vest). One day, I came across a picture of my parents during their service year. I saw a picture of my dad walking a rope, and my mum scaling a fence, service year scared me a bit, then I was told it would be during the camp. I began to dread the 3-week camp and managed to make findings on how it was like. About a year after writing my final exams and anticipating service year, I got my call up number, packed my bags and braced myself up for Service year.

THE CAMP

I had made a comprehensive list and when I showed to my Dad, he asked, “is this for just camp or for the whole year?” However, I got everything needed for camp and ended up with a big box, even when my Dad complained it was too big, I didn’t mind him. It was a 3-hour journey from Uyo, I had mixed feelings, I was really nervous.

On reaching the camp gate,
I registered my name then I was asked to carry the box on my head and do 6 squats and then run with it to the next registration point, that’s when I understood how light heavy my box was.

First Day at CAMP

My Roomies

I was given an up-bunk close to the door, that was enough to make me count-down to the end of camp.
I preceeded for registration and I got my NYSC kit (khaki, crested vest, jungle boots, socks, NYSC belt, jacket and ‘somewhat’ white canvas). I managed to settle in. I had wonderful roommates, and there was no moment of dulling with them, Barr. Ekemini, (Kemzy) Barr. Ebere (Eby) and a talented and sweet accountant, Miss Onyinye. I usually called her tight chic J

The next day before 3 a.m. people had woken up, I joined the crowd, had my bath and got dressed, by 4.30am, the beagle had sounded and we all assembled. There we were told camp rules and taught the NYSC anthem.

/ Youths obey the clarion call

Let us lift our Nation high
Under the sun or in the rain
With dedication and selflessness
Nigeria is ours, Nigeria we serve/

(That third line is responsible for my change in skin colour, directly and indirectly)

By 6.30am, we went for jogging and morning drills. After that, we began to practice for our swearing-in ceremony. The beagle went off for breakfast, after breakfast we were back in the field, then lunch, siesta, evening drills, then social night (which was compulsory).



Swearing - in Ceremony at CAMP

After the swearing-in ceremony, we began to have lectures and skills acquisition classes inbetween. In my camp, they were very few seats. So, I would say during the camp, alas I was never used to struggling or hanging chair about, I stood for 1 week and 5 days ( I did calculate oh), I was always standing and my heels did hurt. Camp was really fun though the food was something else so I was a maami market fan J even though one had to pay N50 with your own bucket of water to use a clean toilet. Everywhere I turned were queues, (photo album shot, book of life, allowances, food, etc) sometimes people would just run join a queue, then you realize it is either not pertaining to you or it’s not your platoon by checking people’s Tags.

A normal day on camp looked like this.

Tug-of-war, skills acquisition, morning drills, evening drills

And sometimes, there were stuff like this to look at, just to hype your morale. J

Oh yes! I bet you have not seen any picture of me on mufti. Hmmm…whosoever told me about bringing mufti to camp did not tell me properly. I took a jean and a gown, I already had the clothes I wore into camp and my sandals, on Sunday morning, I dressed up, nodded to myself that I looked good, only to see chics comoting stepping out in high heels, ‘solid’ gowns, omo dress to kill…I knew it was not unek etok isin (dance for a small waist), I managed that Sunday, the following Sundays, I wore my white and white.

We had the Man O’ War Activities, survival training, I had gone to watch other platoons and I kept thinking if my body would fit through the drum and the tyre… :-)



 As God would have it, I passed that test, just that I wasn’t allowed to climb fence L for fear of humpty dumpty fall. Someone said I smiled too much instead of being stressed, I had fun that day but spent the next two days with pain relievers.



With Friends, Platoon members and Instructor.

We had then endurance trek, we trekked for almost 2hrs, had a 30mins break and trekked back to the camp. There were buckets of sweat.

Endurance Trek

One day, we had the fire alarm test, and people ran out half-dressed, some with towels, some with their certificates but half-dressed….it was fun. For me, my white shorts had began to slack, so when the alarm blew, I ran out dressed in the corridor, there was no time to find my belt, so I borrowed a rope and put inbetween the holes, tied it, covered my shirt and off I went. J

We had social nights, I did act a drama and also sang the songs for cultural dance. I am sure you don’t want to see a picture…lol

Apart from all the fun, I always had to pay to charge phone, camera batteries and one time I had a lost-phone scare. The only place network reception was perfect, was the parade ground, which if you had to go from there to the hostel, in my own way, I would call it travelling, yet we jogged there every morning.

One of those I-badly-need-to-make-a-call evenings on the parade ground with Kemzy

Two days before leaving camp, we had the camp fire night, and here we are, my cornermates and I.

 
And here I am by the camp fire...



With my friend, colleague, and brother, Topy

The day finally came to leave camp, some were happy and some were sad, for me, I was so so happy. Huh! No more 3hr sleep at nights, standing for long hours, sounds of the beagle, running, frog jumps, ‘double up’, ‘if you are walking, you are wrong’, etc.



With my Roommates - CAMP POP



Fresh outta camp, PPA Rush

PPA (PLACE OF PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT):

I bet I thought the journey ended there, no! I had to race to my PPA, and I got there few minutes before 4pm and submitted my posting letter.

The next day, I got back to the hospital and we were asked to wait for the Chief Medical Director...the wait was not an easy task. Later that day, a friend of mine called me to ask if I had been accepted, I told her no, she asked me which office I submitted my posting letter, when I told her, she said, 'oh! they will reject you, you shouldn't have submitted it there'. My heart sank. But hope was not lost. A week later, letters were handed out, some were amidst tears, some angry...the goodnews, I was accepted...My God did not forget me oh!

I was so happy to resume work at the hospital, I was glad I had the opportunity to actually work directly with patients. With some patients, one had to be always patient. I had worked in almost all the wards. The two wards that inspired me more were the Emergency Unit and the Paediatric Ward. Working at the emergency unit gave me some form of confidence, being able to stand the smell and sight of blood gushing, was something I never tried before then, but there, I felt very normal to see such things. The children at the paediatric ward gave me so much hope, most of them the moment you looked in their faces, they’d just smile and you just conclude within you that they have so much hope to get better. One day, my colleague and I went round for procedures and decided to check on a child in the ward, there we met this young lad who engaged us in playing bottle top for about 30minutes, he wasn’t even tired. I had thought he came to see another patient, only to know he was a patient…he ENCOURAGED me. Even though the work took most of my time during service year, I am happy I had a lot to learn.



Work days; casual and official

The experience I had at my PPA was priceless and I made many friends, my colleagues at the office were very friendly, my Boss too.

Service year has everything to do with serving the Nation because for 12 months, I donated my life to be programmed by NYSC. Every Wednesday of mine was set aside for CDS meetings, every first week of the month was clearance, whether in the rain or under the sun, clearance was compulsory. The long queues, some hot-headed human beings shunting queues. One day I was tempted to protrude my stomach and join the pregnant women queue. (usually very fast)..hey! Don't judge me already, I did not. Then, I had the broke days...people expect you as a corper to build a house in the village after service year, mehn! N19,800 was never enough oh! But I had to manage. Monthly allowance (allawee) was never delayed, but the anticipation that usually came with it, was out-of-this-world. Each time I got an alert for the monthly allawee, it was like I just won a lottery. Most times, I had the khaki-advantage...being attended to on time, the ajuwaya echoes...each time I walked in a room, etc.

CDS (COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICE)

This is one part of NYSC who cannot do without, well, except *clears throat* you have very connected strong roots. The day I was given BREAST WITHOUT SPOT CDS group,  a friend of mine was excited when he saw the 'breast', one word, #spoilt. I wondered all it was about. When I got to attend the first meeting, I realized it was all about cancer. I am proud to be an anti-cancer advocate.

Cancer Awareness Campaign



Some CDS Days...

 

Just before I passed out, I was appointed The Vice President of the Group, I learnt a lot about health issues, I was part of sensitization campaigns, I presented lectures too. If you are staying in Calabar, you can watch for our signage at Calabar – Odukpani Road, NYSC Secretariat on the Highway, College of Health Technology, Calabar and Hall 9 Female Hostel, University of Calabar, Calabar.  

At the end of my tenure, a sendforth party was organised and I received an award. I was the MC at the occasion, the reason for my outfit. :-) I also read a poem partly composed by me...you can read it here.

 

Parte!!!

 

Award and Certificate of Service

POP (PASSING OUT PARADE):

As days went by, I began to count down to the Passing Out Parade. I sacrificed my time for parade rehearsals, and made sure I took part in the final marchpast. See me… Paramilitary somebody...seriousness on point.

 

Marching out in Slow Time

Yeah, I have finally concluded service year and there's everything to be happy about it. But then, it's time to say goodbye, to my friends, neighbours, kids, and all whose lives I touched intentionally and unintentionally, those who made me learn real life.

I look into the future knowing that the
One who holds it, has great plans for me

I was just in my room and I could hear my neighbour's kids sober that I was leaving. They kept asking, ' are you really going tomorrow?'. They came to prove and saw my luggages, and said, 'won't u stay a while?' I said to 5 year old Ini, 'I will be going'. He ran away from me and said, 'no, you can't go. I will get you a job here, you must stay here with us'. He stood far away and I could see the sadness in his eyes, then he said, 'always visit us every week, please', and went inside the house. I turned and then I saw tears roll down Edidiong's cheeks, 'please don't go' she kept saying. She hugged me so tight....I couldn't let go, I felt hot tears in my eyes. I asked them to write a list of what they wanted from me. They wrote all sort of stuff, some I could afford. Edidiong's list said, 'I don't want anything but YOU'. I was speechless. I wish I could stay. All those helping out with assignments would end. Going for lunch at Aunty Esther's house, no more. Turning Aunty Esther’s house to Cinema, would be no more. Borrowing Aunty Esther's everything including water bottle, no more. I am happy I spent time with them, but it's sad, I just have to go.

I will miss my closest friends, my church GRACE CONSULATE, my Tribe family, my church department – ANGELS kitchen, my friends at UCTH, and everyone who became a part of me during my 10month stay in Calabar.

I thank God for His Grace and His faithfulness.

 

Thank you for stopping by to share in my story.