Service Year Boulevard 44

This is A SYB with a little of everything....lol

Today I decided to type my SYB, since work is dry and the bag is empty, I see a lot of SYBs here and some actually have a similar ring with mine, so here it goes.

I wanted to serve in Lagos or any other ok state, so when my aunt asked me to choose any state save Lagos, Rivers and Abuja, I decided on Delta state. I got posted to Delta state, and I headed to Iselukwu for camp, I truly cannot recall the journey but at camp, I met a very nice and pretty lady, we were in the same room and we became fast friends. 

Somehow sha, I had the worst experience you can think of, I got Apollo of all things and the camp clinic named me the patient zero, wasn’t funny.

Camp in itself was a blur, we had the usual boring food and lectures, since I was not athletic, the parades were not funny one bit. Then it happened, lol, I got my period and me that I never get stained in coloured dresses, I got stained in my white shorts and it was cray cray… So, I was at the parade ground and a babe says, hello, you are stained, eewww, I was super embarrassed and started my long journey to the camp. I just told the soldiers on the way that my tummy was hurting me and I guess they too saw the stains and let me go. It was not funny but wetin man pikin go do. 

After camp, as the only babe I knew in Delta then was a student @ Delsu, I went to her hostel and I was received well. Woke up at night to go wee but I could not find my phone, choi, my blackberry phone that was predicted it would be stolen at camp, now we survived camp only to be stolen on my first night out of camp. 

Thankfully with the help of my girlfriend, I found the phone 2 months later after it was sold to an unsuspecting student by tracking the phone pin (BBs have their unique pin) and luring the guy into thinking I was a postjambite seeking admission. The university’s CSO helped us trace the real thief and my phone was returned to me. It actually helped that I was in my NYSC khaki and I wrote my statement well as a graduate that I “is” nah.


During the course of my youth service, that was when the “OccupyNaija” protest occurred, I was free then as schools were on strike et al, So, I sha was talking to this tall akwa ibomite and he invited me to his base for a weekend of sowing oats and debauchery, lol. After thinking of my boring and about to die relationship, I went to his base and OMIGOSH, na him taya sha (You can ask him) and nope, he is not a stranger, we were in school together for 5yrs, though we were not close friends.

 We had agreed it was going to be a onetime thing. I got to his house, he made afang soup, I ate and went to have my bathe. I was kinda shy and I was thinking of how “the show” will start, then he grabbed me and said, your cool body won’t go to waste. After our weekend, the guy wanted more as the Oliver Twist that he is nah, he did not understand the term “onetime”.


Then back to base, I met this handsome corp member on one of the days we were asked to come to the LGA for some unimportant stuff. So, on our way, (I and the other guys in my PPA) we met a corp member coming our way and we asked him what was expected and it happened that we had to run some photocopies, at the photo copy shop, I went in with him but I just sat there pinging away, never knew I was being watched, the next thing I heard was “so you ping?” I was superdazed, if it were someone who knew me from school that had asked, I would have understood as they all thought I was an efiwe… But this is a stranger, after quizzing him, he said I always looked very serious and he never thought I pinged. 

We sha got talking and my interest piqued when he said he was from my state and we attend same church, goodness me, he was so handsome and quite articulate. I was impressed. Imagine my surprise when he neither asked for my pin nor my phone no. I wanted to cry. He finally did ask for my contact during the next CDs meeting and we had my best relationship so far. We had to break up as genotype dictated.

In all, my youth service was an experience and I still keep in touch with my department secretary whose husband would always batter even when she was pregnant. 5 kids later, he left her for another babe. If not that “I told you so” is banned in this situation, it would have been most appropriate. As I cannot count how many times I advised her to save herself.



I don’t think NYSC added anything or wasted my time but I got to use my skills and eat banga soup with fresh fish, I could never summon the courage to taste the owo soup. On that note, I say merigwe.

Nice round up..Thanks for sharing your story.I hear that Owo soup thing is very nice oh..I plan on making Banga soup soon its been long...Banga with catfish..cheiiiii.

Corps members still serving can send in their stories as well and let us know whats up and what their projects are.....