It takes time, hard work, perseverance, persistence and focus, and a heart ignited with fire to achieve great things.
After 28 years of National youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in a rented apartment at the Progressive Secondary School, Umunya in Oyi
Local Government Area of Anambra State. The scheme now moved to her permanent camp on Thursday November 7th 2019, the governor of Anambra State, Governor Willie Obiano commissioned the new permanent National Youth Service Corps Orientation camp in Umuawulu, Mbaukwu, Awka South of Anambra State.
However, Umunya was still the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp during my batch. Batch B stream 2 which was scheduled August 20 2019 was my batch that happened to be the last batch to camp at Umunya, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. Then batch C stream 1 2019 was the first lucky batch to camp at the new permanent National Youth Service Corps orientation camp situated at Amawbia, Umuawulu, Mbaukwu, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. Read also, "how I almost lost my sanity"
It was my first parade in camp. It was 2am that morning, every prospective corps member woke up, I never knew it was the orientation most of them got from friends and family members who were once like us. Everybody rushing to take their bathe, and defecating anywhere they see around our hostel. It was very few propective corps members who were using their pool to ease themselves and pour into the water system. It was a complete different and abnormal way of doing things—absurb living actually from the normal way of doing things.
Though I had little experience of sharing same toilet and bathroom with strangers when I once camped in my school first campus hostel the year 2008 we were writing our Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. So couldn’t use the toilet because others were using it. But even when I tried I saw the resultant effect it had in my body. Unhealthy air entered my body, when I returned I fell sick and was later treated. I live in my father's house. We live alone as family, so never shared toilet or restroom with no tenant whosoever. So I couldn’t imagine myself sharing the same toilet with others from different tribes and regions at National Youth Service Corps camp, I feared lest what happened in 2008 repeat itself.
Being able to adjust ourselves in any situation we find ourselves is the best way to conquer fret and anxiety.
That morning I managed to take my bath in the bathroom. I was in room four, silver hostel very easy to locate when coming from the pavilion. It was my first time of sleeping in the camp "up bunk bed". At first, I thought it might fall one night because most of the bunks were very weak and the buildings itself was dilapidated.
When I entered the room, I saw girls making up that early morning, I was surprised and disappointed too that it gave them the courage to make up not considering the military environment we were to adapt in then and we were at same time expected to behave and live the life of corps not posh life and fine face beauty pageantry. They forgot we were expected to act like soldiers. So, the situation didn’t call for luxurious posh life. I never thought of involving myself in the temporary transformation. Though many might see it that I was frowning at it because I wasn’t a make up freak.
Suddenly, the blew the beagle. When we heard this, everybody had to leave everything and whatever they were doing to run to the pavilion. It was morning meditation. This was ritually done every morning. It was my first time to experience a thing like that. The whole activities were new to me and I believed it was same to every other prospective corps member but we all needed to adjust ourselves to the orientation course as to fit in properly. I got to know this as day passed by anyway, it was the same way of doing things in the camp, that was why I called it "camp ritual activities". We started with praise and worship them prayer by one of the camp officials.
"Now you can go to your different platoons" said the camp director.
If we are nice to others, others respond to us in the same way and we can give our best to each other.
Ben Carson
How do you know your platoon? The last digit on your tag. Your platoon officer will address you,” said the Camp director, Mrs Anuri Molokwu. After the National Youth Service Corps Coordinator in the state, Mr Kehinde Aremu had addressed us that morning. I checked my tag round my neck it was 4877, so I concluded I was in platoon 7. I was very ignorant about the usefulness of the tag when I was first given it to by one of the camp official. Don't miss our next story on, How I Lost My Way Before Arriving At NYSC Camp, Umunya And Register yourself the officer who registered me after presenting my green card and call up letter, the officer who handed the tag number to me directed me to go for my mattress, which I did and finally went to the hall where they were sharing the mattress.
I ended up looking blindly at different stand but didn’t know which stand to queue to get my NYSC kit. I ended up in platoon 9 but the platoon officer saw my tag number, without uttering a word to me, he pointed at the direction of platoon 7 stand. Yet I was still confused that morning what that tag number represented in the camp before the camp director, Mrs Anuri Molokwu explained everything to us that morning.
Mrs Anuri Molokwu was a kind woman. She was very active and friendly. She was albino with a plump body, average height. So once she explained it all to us, I believed others were relieved of the curiosity in their eyes just as I was. The tag number (known as tally) was a piece of white paper typed 4 digits on it and laminated it, a slot punch was used to create holes at the top of the camp tag number in order to help one attach lanyards, reels, or strap clips.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see our platoon officer, Mr Jonah Efughu that morning, when other platoon officers were busy addressing their platoons. Looked like our platoon was going to be behind, I guessed it was too early to start experiencing absenteeism and of all people, the platoon officer, who was like a bedrock of the platoon.
We were all surprised our platoon officer had already assigned a platoon leader and assistant without our consent, though we accepted them without questions. After all it was a three weeks (21 days) orientation camp not one year camp, the camp wasn’t anyone’s father's house. So no opposition on their leadership even when many of us doubted their leadership qualities. Every prospective Corps member was mature that is why National youth Service corps is a one year compulsory program for all graduates under the age of 30 from Nigeria. So everyone who found himself or herself in camp is expected to be an adult and should handle issues in a civilized way like a patriotic Nigerian.
We had in few minutes examined them, they were too cold, not vibrant and as well incompetent for the job assigned to them. "First time and day absentee platoon officer and incompetent platoon leaders, this platoon is undoubtedly going to sucks and probably take the last positions in all the camp activities and competitions," I said to myself. However, we wrote down our names on paper. Shortly we were assembled with the other platoons again. “It goes like this, morning drill by your assigned man o' war officers. After the early morning drill, your parade commanders will kick start off from there for your morning parade proper at once. Have a nice experience,” said Mrs, Anuri Molokwu.
Catching the ball,
catching the ball,
I do like this
I do like that
I wine this way
I wine that way
Then I catching the ball… (many times)
Mama I no dey o
Papa I no dey o
If you want to kill me
Kill me make I die
I will never leave here in Umunya
I will forever stay here in Umunya... (many times)
See how they dey look us
See how they dey look us lazy corpers
Chorus
See how they dey look us
See how they dey look us lazy corpers… (many times)
You don enter to comot no easy (ehee)
You don enter to comot no easy (ehee)
You don enter to comot no easy (ehee)
Singing repeatedly until it was changed... (many times)
We gathered in a place. He commanded us that we would stay at a place to run meters race. He began, tapping heavily on his kneel standing at a place to run by moving his feet. After his demonstration he asked us to start:
Run, run, run
100 metre, he said
Run run run faster
Make it 200 metre
Faster, faster, faster... (many times)
Wider, wider,
Wider! (Chorus)
Let it burst
gbua (chorus) ...(many times)
A female man o' war took over from the male man o' war who was taking us on the morning drilling earlier that morning.
Push it out!
Front! Back!
Left, right, centre,
Wine it hard—we rotate our body until our body began to pain us.
Are you seeing me? If you are seeing me it means you are not doing it.
Be serious, Is it entering?” she asked, this time it was a female man o' war who had taken over her own drill seemed to be tougher and shortly we retired to the ground to rest. We looked so exhausted.
I found this exciting but it was really stressful. Especially the moment we were running after the male man o' war, he made us run round the field, countless times until everyone began to sweat profusely and tired too with our man o' war leader wasn't tired. I got to realize that the drill was harder than workout itself. Because we had to run round and round until we got exhausted and couldn't run again. Even when we showed it, our tiredness written all over us, the man o' war wouldn’t let us rest, not until he felt tired. Then we rested for a while and continued...
So many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind, when just the art of being kind is all this sad world needs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Pray, pray shun!
Stand at ease!” one of the soldiers commanded.
The commander was fat and friendly. He was such a likable person. We were very pleased to meet him. And we wished he was our parade commander. Sergeant Mohammed was very peaceful. He was such a free military Corps. He began to command us.
Pray, pray shun!
Then he would ask us to repeat after him complementing with the exact way he demonstrated it. When he called one of us. It was a boy.
“Isn’t that attention he was pronouncing or is it a military term or way of pronouncing it? I was a bit confused but on a second thought I had once heard people saying that some military men are illiterates. They became corps by virtue of military training not by education and that’s why many would end up not getting promotion from time to time but remain corpra. Though Mohammed was a sergeant.
Then, the boy started this way,
Pray pre... shun!
Stand at ease,”
we laughed but he got the demonstration as we joined him. A female was called out to lead. She was as dark as charcoal and was not beautiful but she had height. She was very confident as she started this way,
Pre pre pre shu!
San dra line!
We all burst out into laughter, it was hilarious. She went to her position and queued. I said to myself I had entered one chance, and this time no going back because backing off is not easy. Though I never dreamt to back off at that moment no matter what. In fact, to me it was "we die here in camp". I had no fears but I was readily waiting for my own turn, to be called out to lead, though I was looking like someone who had found herself in a journey of no return. Yet we were in it already and we prayed to see the end and reaching our destination which was passing out parade from camp (POP). I didn’t need any magic to help me adjust because adjusting to the new military life I must.
It was then that I knew that real business had started. I remembered what my elder brother once told me about his experience in camp during his National Youth Service Corps at Abuja in the year 2013. How corps members were collapsing at the course of parading. Immediately I thought about his experience I began to look at the corps members faces. I noticed many corps members looking very frazzled, feeble and weak already. I said to myself, "It is first day in camp, why are they looking like a withered leaf already?"
Though, I wasn't surprised, the "red cross society" was carrying red cross first aid boxes and around looking for a faint case, passed out victim or anyone who had sustained injury. We saw those prospective corps who quickly joined the red cross society as lazy prospective corps members. They were dodging morning drilling, morning and night parade, no wonder we were asked to submit our medical report. Because those camp trainings they gave us weren't for non physically fit prospective corps members.
You have to be ready to take any risk at the course of actualization of your goals and dreams; always note that the path to success is not a bed of roses.
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