Service Year Boulevard-107

The Service Year Boulevard is still open if you wanna join in and gist us what happened....

 

How una de my fellow beeves? I say make I send my SYB, e long ooo! Abeg pardon my typos and biko Stella, conceal my Identity.




Pre-Service

It had been almost a year of sitting at home in 2015, waiting for NYSC call up. I was waiting alongside my younger sister. That was how mobilization list was pasted oooo and I went to register. I have jejely made up my mind to pick Lagos, Ogun and Oyo (As Unserious person wey I be. I was born, bred and schooled in Lagos, indigene of Ogun. Didn’t know what I was thinking…..na love sha, I was engaged at the point). Men, sisters and brethren, when I got to the registration centre two days after the registration commenced, I had option of Bauchi, Gombe, Sokoto, Niger, Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba. So, I chose Gombe, Kaduna and Sokoto as my papa say him don runs Lagos, say Lag sure die.


Naso I shake body go print call up letter for me and my sister o. I saw Taraba for her and Gombe for me! Aye mi (my life)! Izza lie! The windows of my eyes were opened and there was an outpouring. Na so my papa say make we go but that we would we relocated to Lagos. As I reach house present am:


Dad: It can’t be ooo, goan check very well! There is a mix up! Are you sure that’s your name on that print out? (I nodded). Nigerian government cannot make me lose two out of three children……it must be rectified!

Mum: God, you didn’t tell me b**o h***m will kill my children oo…… (wailing) what will I say? Egbami

Frustration don envelope me, my sister was laughing hysterically…..she wanted so much to be out of the house! For where? Since she went with stream 1 (mine was stream 2) she was relocated ni….sharp sharp….that gave me confidence.



Service

My family went with me to the airport and advice was coming left, right and centre. I just dey look as them de do me like baby even though my 25th birthday was knocking already. I got to Kaduna (Black Gold camp) late in the evening, the day after camp opened (we camped there because of insurgence). My friend from school already told me there was no space that I will stay at the chapel. As soon as I got to the gate, I saw three soldiers seated outside and the following conversation ensued:

Soldier: aceee! Where you de go wey u carry luggage like say na wedding u come do?

Me: I came to serve here sir. I was posted to Gombe

Soldier: Where the gun, knife and pistol wen u bring? (Sternly) (a new guy arrived)

Me: (Shaking) No sir, I didn’t bring any of those. My sister said I should not bring them.

Soldier: The fork wey u wan take kill that boyfriend snatcher nko? You think say we no know?

Me: (Crying) haaaa! My Jesus, my daddy, my mummy, Mistaken identity sir. (He moved closer to shakara me. I almost pee for pant)

Soldier: Laffing hysterically…….. Otondo! Daddy’s girl…….hey u boy….that luggage too much, oya carry for her! (I later discovered that was the best soldier on camp, I even saw him at NAFRC Oshodi, I hail am die…na unsung hero that man be! Sooo friendly! The guy became my friend too)


Naso I was mumufied oo…..didnt know what to say. I got to the registration point and I was about to register when one nursing mother was leaving one of the best hostels in camp, omo….see favour! I got the hostel, moved my things and was going to pick my kit when I saw plenty otondos run towards my direction. I was too perplexed to move.

Soldier: why u stand there otondo?

Me: I don’t understand

Soldier: You will soon understand. Join them!!! Naso I begin run aimless run o. Next thing, my Hausa brothers started calling me Miss camp, left right and centre, plenty people wanted to be friends with me or buy me things, some people sef beef me die! Someone even said I don’t have class cos I respond to greetings and I greet! Chai! I enjoyed the attention my God given fine face gave to me! I wanted to contest for miss camp oo but they said you must serve in Gombe to contest oo………………see as one girl said she will contest with confidence cos I was her only competitor! I shake my head!

Anyhow, I found favour in camp……..my commandant et al, only little issues except one day I woke up crying that I wanted to go home. Omo!!! The weather na die (Harmattan) we had to be on parade by 4:30am and yeah my skin was breaking! It was white even with panty hose and head warmer and gloves and socks and cardigan! I sick small too. The scorching sun comes up before 7am and I swear, it can kill!!! For SAED I did Agro-Allied, I even sold grilled cat fish sef on camp fire night and on SAED display.


Fast forward to last day o……went to see the relocation list, naso I see Osun State, cry begin, called my dad as he was saying he would work on it, I just say popsy, bone, na God send me there! POP was short and sharp, we already made arrangement for rail transport but e noh work so we entered night bus. I was grateful cos it was the next day Shiites clash occurred! Some corpers were trapped but me? Nah! I don reach lag.


I went to Osun state to register, was told to come in two weeks, so I went there. As I reach with my friend, our posting was frustrating. I just talk am say I noh serve again, called them at home I was coming. My dad begged me o, that he will make contact. How will I go to a place where there is no light or water? Dad’s contact called, told me to pick a letter to the state commandant. As we reach there (my friend and I) this woman begin para o, say we should go and get letter from presidency we shouldn’t stop at governor’s office….smh! I went back to the family house we were lodging with my friend and started to speak in tongues, people were like “ on top this mata”? 

I said I must serve in the capital o, I aint going nowhere! Anyways, dem call us to come pick our letter oo, we were posted to a ministry to serve for capital, omo! We worked! we served! It wasn’t like other ministries o….but we were happy there despite the fact that we weren’t paid! The ambience and reception was really outta the world.



I also served as my fellowship exco, broke my engagement, sought God more, met some amazingly great friends and started my orphanage projects and God and people keep helping ( I run it every May and November). It was a year I passed out of service last Saturday, I don’t have all I want but God keeps supplying my needs! Hope say I noh bore una? Oya no vex…. 

Peace!!!