Service Year Boulevard 103

An Interesting service Year Boulevard narrative with photo..How Nice!

Hi Stella, I enjoyed my service year and I've been meaning to send my story.. don't mind the length..


‎Like every eligible final year student of a tertiary institution in Nigeria, I couldn't wait to serve my fatherland; I remember how I used to look at corps members in awe like they were from another planet when I was still in secondary school. Infact the thing "shack" me Sotey I don sabi NYSC anthem (stanza 1) for SS2 (lmao). 

Speaking of which state I wanted, I was actually indifferent but later tried to influence my posting to Enugu... Infact after project defence, I started getting my stuffs ready but that was the year UNAAB decided to split us into 2. Kai, e pain me die but I got a teaching job to occupy myself as we learnt camp would open after Ramadan in August, that's how I was facing my work till I heard posting letter was out! 

Chei! I was so confident I was going to Enugu (thanks to how Chimamanda Adichie painted it in purple hibiscus) and I was already dreaming about how I'll be eating okpa like someone who has been okpa starved all her life among other plans I had in mind and so the journey started. 

I wasn't sure how many days it would take to finish clearance in school so I packed for two days. When I got to the bus stop where we take shuttle to the campus, I met other prospective corps members from my department and those of us who "worked" it were making mouth. I was even saying I pity those who'll be posted to Sokoto that I heard that place "no be am" not knowing what was in stock for me. 

Oya now, after the whole clearance and all, I was still overly confident when my friend suddenly said "you've been posted to Sokoto" what? Kilonjebe? Did you look at the name very well I asked, she said are you not Hundeyin again abi shey you get sister for UNAAB? Hay God!! But my daddy said he worked it nah, all my inside turned to jelly, my leg was weak, I couldn't think well! 

Infact the first thing I did when I could think was to google Sokoto (that period everything on Wikipedia about Sokoto was in my brain, line by line), next I checked airlines going to Sokoto, when I saw two, I was relieved. Finally, I called home and broke the news and told them I was coming back to Lagos that very day. 

On getting home, they were consoling me, ehn, no Boko Haram there, no xyz there, I was still forming bold face, Chei! That night I broke down and wept, I wept for the okpa I wouldn't eat, I wept for the fun I won't have in camp, I wept for the lack of civilisation I was going to meet and so on. After much talk because my mum said I must redeploy oh, I started preparing for camp with my medical report ready. 

I got to airport very early that fateful Thursday (7/8/14) with my big luggage that contained different kinds of edibles( I've heard a lot about camp food) and met others like me looking dejected; some were even going to Kebbi and Zamfara, Torr, in my mind all sorts was just going on, Infact I asked the guy next to me over 100 times if Sokoto had roads, light, etc as I was just blank as to what to expect. 

On our way to camp from the airport, I was surprised to see very good roads and well built houses and for the first time, I relaxed and called my people. We got to camp and I heard those soldiers usually ask otondos to carry their box on their head and jog and mine was the biggest box, I was just doing pity face, they just searched and passed us anyway. 

Immediately I entered the gate, I broke down and cried like a baby(guys that saw me made jest of me till the end of camp), I told my mum that I don't want to serve again, she just laughed and said you just got to Sokoto and you're complaining? Well, camp was fun to me even though Wamakko camp was boring but I had the right set of friends (no camp romance as I ruled it out completely)... I can write a whole page about camp.. 

eventually I didn't redeploy to the disappointment of my mother especially. As regards posting, I was already discovering lowkey that I'll end up an educationalist so I wanted to be posted to a school as against ministry, however I didn't lobby anything since the Enugu I did came out as Sokoto. 

Finally, posting came out and I saw Sokoto South, Hian, kilonjebe? Eventually people said it was the city centre, Torr, my friends and I left camp but I told them I was too tired from the whole activities and I needed at least 10 hours sleep,and so was going to lodge in a hotel and report to my PPA the next day, that's how we proceeded oh, as I couldn't speak Hausa, my friend was the one directing, we got to a good hotel and I changed to my white short and a top, went to look for food and came back to sleep. 

Around 4am, I woke up suddenly, I felt for my phone and didn't find it but in my mind I was like I remember my friend pressing it till I slept off so maybe it's with him, suddenly I felt something was off, I sat up and saw my box had been tampered with, my handbag with my flight ticket, NYSC ID card and my first 19,800 which I added 200 to make it 20,000 gone with my wallet and small cash too, hay God, the sleep cleared from my eyes fast and hot tears started pouring. 

I ran to the lobby and started yelling, I told them to wake the guys up(my other friends) that I've been robbed, I said we must go to the police station oh, that's how the first place I reported to was a police station (this is just an abridged version of the incidence anyway) Kai, thank God I had spare cash in my account too. I went to swear an affidavit blah blah blah and got another ID card and proceeded to Sultan Abubakar College, my place of primary assignment. 

It was that ebola period so school was yet to resume.. On entering, the compound was very big and beautiful, enough classrooms but I was seeing "Arabic and Islamic board", and I was like is this one Sharia school? I was accepted and shown to my lodge which was very ok, for the two or three days I was there before I proceeded on leave, I'd lock myself in my room and cry my eyes out that shey na me Lagos girl them rob like this? What will I say when I get home? 

Well, I had high hopes about NYSC and giving my best so imagine my shock when school resumed and I saw boys (government schools in Sokoto are strictly single sex schools) coming to school bare-footed! I broke down and cried as I've never seen such! The next shocker was conducting assembly in Hausa, also we were expected to teach in Hausa! (I was teaching JSS3 basic technology so imagine how frustrated I'd be while teaching), I had to mobilise other sensible corps members and we went to the junior principal and told him yes, we are in the north but WAEC would be conducted in English language and that while one of the aims of NYSC is to make me learn a new culture, making Hausa the official language in school wouldn't help the students, eventually he accepted and we took over while training some students that joined the newly formed press club..

 Unfortunately, there was petty jealousy on part of some teachers who couldn't speak basic English(shamefully too they teach English language in Hausa!!)... it's really along way to educational emancipation for the north *sigh*. Anyway Hausa was banned in my class and each time any staff spoke Hausa to me, I'd act dumb. I knew it was a battle I couldn't win but I did my best and I'm happy it paid eventually. 

On socials, finding someone to hold an intelligent conversation with in Sokoto is like finding a needle in a haystack so the few I got were very dear to me... the only places people go to hangout is hotels(Shukura,Ginginya, etc), if you want alcohol, mammy market and that's on the way to Zamfara self so I busied myself with my CDS (editorial and publicity group) and my plenty Sidney Sheldon. Imagine my shock when I found books eventually but Chase was sold for 1,500 and Sheldon for 2,000. Made me appreciate Ikeja and Ojuelegba where I pick books for 500 the more. 

There was no tourist attraction either and I wasn't ready for frivolous parting so it's safe to say I had no social life. 

On economy: I was shocked to find out their markets open from 10am and close by 6pm and the only women there are Igbos or Yorubas. Hausa women don't own stalls and the cosmetics and shoe section is mostly dominated by Igbo guys (Igbo kwenu). 

Also, food isn't as cheap as we were made to believe (like there's 50 naira meat, Infact the fear of camel meat made me stick to chicken) however, I made sure to speak the little Hausa I understood and I always whine about me being a "kofa" so I'd get jara..lol

Also, since I was in the state capital all the commercial banks were not far from my lodge and 90% of the staff are Yoruba/Igbo including staff of multinationals too. There were eager to mix with us as we reminded them of home.. ajo o le dabi ile 

On new dishes: I'm not adventurous food wise so I stuck to my ofe mmanu, thankfully there was plenty Ewedu and green in the market plus elubo self, however, I learnt how to eat dambu nama there and I can boldly say Sokoto makes the best kilishi and dambu nama. 

Let me also mention that I ran into a lady hawking okpa after my clearance one month like that, I bought and collected her number self because those kind of food while not scarce as such there given the high number of igbos there was like gold for me sha. 

On religion/dressing: well, I was in the state capital so we were free to wear even shorts to the market, no restrictions that I knew of except that my principal once suggested that I'd be more beautiful if I cover my hair, I just swallowed my spit and said ok sir. 

Churches are also clustered around where non indigenes (Yor/igbos) live eg old airport and in other places, you'd see the churches on one line, however I didn't experience any form of discrimination though those in the interior complained of such.

On security: Hmmmmmm, I was robbed again during the campaign period and it was with weapon self.. I kept having nightmare for months oh. The scar from the injury is still on my leg.
Election period was like walking on eggshell, my curiosity led me to register as an adhoc staff (my mum almost fainted) and I was posted to a LG bordering Niger republic oh. Chai! thank God for the police (police is your friend esp the educated ones oh) and army, after the elections, we were low-key praying for GEJ to lose make them no go use us do sacrifice.. thank God all ended well 

On road/electricity/water: I was in the state capital and the road network was good, electricity very ok but water? esp during the dry season.. I was buying at the rate of 120 naira for that big yellow jerry can oh *sob sob*

Weather: hay God! I was still balling during harmattan (fresh skin even though the cold na die) but when the heat started and even the fan was blowing hot air, I started crying that I wanted to redeploy. At a point we were sleeping outside the lodge but the fear that we could be raped would keep me awake. Thank God for the few times it rained too anyway. It's in Sokoto the original NE trade wind blows, direct from the Sahara! 

There was meningitis fear too especially from my mum who was crying that I refused to get vaccinated. Lol.
Hmmmmmm, I have a lot to write about my service year oh, everything is still fresh in my head (I reminisce about it everyday even though it'll be 2 years this July) and I couldn't believe it when I cried uncontrollably on the day of POP. 

The summary of it all sha is I learnt, I taught, I was taught, I experience life in a different dimension from what I've been exposed to and Sokoto really shaped how I react to situations now as I came back cool headed thanks to the lodge mates I lived with. 

NYSC should not be scrapped as I'm of the opinion that if you're focused and have a goal, you'd pass out a better person with even better ideals with which you'll face the world you're entering.