Service Year Boulevard 21

Did you pass through the service year or it passed through you?

Greetings to you, Frau Dimoko-Korkus!

When I tried to remember what year I started reading your blog, I couldn’t. Been here like forever and it would only sound right to appreciate the good works you are doing here. Vielen Dank.


In light of the recent happenings in NYSC camps, I would love to recount my NYSC experience. I served in batch C of 2011. My bad luck with NYSC started when I went to register and was told at the Gowon house (NYSC HQ) that foreign graduates starting from our batch can no longer choose the state they want to serve in.

 I immediately knew I was in for one hell of a ride. This wasn’t what I bargained for. I had no plans to serve anywhere else but in Abuja. They posted us randomly. I was scared because it was at the heat of attacks from Boko haram but Abia state appeared on my posting letter. I was like ‘It could have been worse’. I read my letter well and it clearly stated no vehicles allowed in camp but I wasn’t having it. I drove to camp. 

I was still very fragile for the country not to talk of the harsh camp conditions. It was the best decision ever. After two days in camp, I couldn’t take it anymore. I moved permanently into my car, it was parked out of sight, under a shade and covered with tarpaulin. I was sleeping in the car, no morning parade, no nothing. I only appeared when I wanted to and mostly at night to go and chill at mami. I had two other corps members that parked beside me, we formed a little gang. I no find camp boo, camp boo no find me, I was even wondering how them folks be hugging upandan when they haven’t even properly showered + I no go camp to find boo.

 I just couldn’t wait to leave camp. For PPA I was sent to a village formerly known to have cannibals among them, Stella, I didn’t spend a night in the place.

 In short, my principal rejected me immediately, I reported to the NYSC office and they could read it in my eyes that I wasn’t ready to stay there. Later, I redeployed back to Abuja. NYSC experience taught me a lesson and made me understand that Nigeria as a country wasn’t ready for any change in the nearest future. 

Buhari CANNOT save Nigeria. Das Land ist ganz kaputt. 

The secretary in NYSC HQ won’t attend to you quickly unless you offer a little token. The platoon officers won’t post you according to your qualification if you don’t go to meet them and arrange that with a little envelope in your hand. The worst thing is that it has become a norm that nobody sees anything wrong with it. 

The system doesn’t care about qualifications. Distribution and transmission of jobs are given to alhajis, friends and relatives without any basic skills. I actually asked myself, if I stayed back in Nigeria and had kids, how will I convince them that education is rewarding when fools, agberos and touts are running the country, from National Assembly to the presidency. 

 After service, I parked my bags and left.

 NYSC should be made optional, I met people who were genuinely happy to serve but I always met folks like me who were forced to serve. I gained NOTHING from NYSC except for the free packets of WHO condoms they gave out in CDS.

Mit den besten Grüßen aus Erfurt.
Der Palmweintrinker

LMAOOO @Das land ist ganz kaput...Du hast recht aber ist nicht so schlim oder?