Service Year Boulevard 19

Drama free Boulevard!

Hi Stella, kudos to you.


I live in Lagos but studied in an Eastern university. I really wanted my service year to be outside Lagos, I preferred Ogun so I could come in and out of Lagos easily. I was tired of being closely watched.


I'm the last of my parents. All my siblings served where they chose (gratefully, we had our way). But during my turn, I was waiting for dad to ask me so I could say 'Ogun'. A‎s though he knew my plans, next I heard, he was on the phone talking to his brother, "ee, (my name) , o graduate go... ee...mma E sendilu gi details ia...ngwa, tinye Ya na Lagos.. deeme"... translation: "Yes, (my name), she has graduated.... yes... I will send you her details... now, mobilise her to Lagos... thank you"....... Brethren, I weak!...


That was how camp opened on a Tuesday, everyone was out of the house and around 3pm I was still at home sleeping. Till my phone rang... "I pu go?" - have you left?.... ahhh! I had never been to Iyana-Ipaja. I got to Ojuelegba hoping I would see people like me with boxes, but no! Seemed Lagos prospective Corps members didn't use danfo. I guess they were all private car people or even cab users.


I got to camp and after being searched at the gate, one guy in brown uniform (MOD or what) decided to exercise his newly found power... "hey! Why are you moving sluggishly, double up!!!"... shoo?! I never enter weh, wahala don come.
While in line to be assigned rooms, I met a babe, later found out we both studied in the East and are from same state. She too lives in Lagos! We were assigned same room and she became my neighbour. We wore mufti for few days claiming we hadn't collected kit till it was obvious registration was closed.


I haven't mentioned I'm tall and slim. Yes, I am, a lil above 6ft (so, kinda got everyone looking at this 'long girl'). At a point, I became the SI unit of measurement in camp. Strange faces would walk up to me smiling, of course I knew they were coming to unravel a 'mystery' they must have been arguing with a friend(s). "Hi, my friends and I were arguing how tall you are, bla Bla bla". I would simply stand and let them measure. Lol!

I wear glasses, so I wasn't interested in any camp activities except cheering my platoon, before someone will come and break my glasses and render me visionless. Lol.


The morning drills? Was kinda fun as it was more like dancing time.


One of my platoon soldiers, would see me during our time off and instruct me to start a match past (he said I had the physique) . Oga, I no do, no be by force! Imagine only me matching while everyone went about their business.
I was in one of the best rooms; room 30. OBS crew must have something to announce about the room. Lol!
What about all those SAED lectures? Mtcheew! Na sleeping time naa! Anybody with sun glasses on, was actually asleep. Lol!


Lagos camp, wasn't as stressful as many other camps because I heard from my school mates. Water was always available, the bathrooms to the naked eyes were clean, the food was good too. But trust babes to form naa..
You know there ain't no party like a Lagos party! Oops! BeatFM sponsored the social night!

 Artists like Victoria Kimani, Kiss Daniel, Oritsefemi, Mr. Raw, Ajebo and others were there. Skky Vodka! Bla Bla Bla!! It was hot!... was it the burn fire night?... the camp director emsef na craze man..

My PPA was in a big African Organisation, though, most of my colleagues were my mom's age mates, but I still found time to enjoy my stay there. My LI (Local Government Inspector) shaa showed me pepper lol, as I had my fancy way of wearing my uniform with my brown shoe. I would always go borrow shoe before she could clear me.


My CDS group at some point started teaching in a rural government primary school. So, every Wednesday, I would go teach. I taught primary four pupils. I had 80% yoruba pupils, 10% Benin Republic, 7% Igbo, and 3% Togolese. Gosh! 

These children would drain my energy! Many of them could not speak English fluently, and I, their teacher understood only Igbo and English (Wetin we wan do?)"Aunty, Fawaz mess!" "Aunty, *yoruba* *yoruba* *yoruba* biro mi!" - I would just know someone took the other's biro...

 I would ask someone question and others will echo "Aunty na Ilaro"... meaning what?.. I took Ilaro to mean olodo (forgive me). 

Me: do you understand? 

My pupils: beeni ma!


I was happy I had the opportunity of teaching them. They all wanted my number on my last day with them (make dem kill my battery with flashing). I bought goodies for them, we all ate and took some pictures.


Then, came my POP! La Mango in Ikeja hear am!!! Corps members sabi flex shaa. The guy who drove us was drunk at the end and since we didn't want to make the front page of the papers with bad news, we jejely enter cab, leave Dayo there till em eye clear.

Till we all parted and the real world stared at our faces..
God bless our hustles.

*Refreshing story....i for like see your height oh..lol

‎