The date for our passing out was very close. I was very excited and couldn't wait for the day to come. I was waiting impatiently. So the day had
come, two days to our POP I began to think of where to sleep on the Wednesday night so that I would wake up very early to arrive at Njikoka Local Government Area on Thursday 10am which was the day and time for issuing of Certificate Of National Service (CNS). I was scared of sleeping at the family house because of those girls Gbemisola and her associates. Read aso, Effects of daring to live a perfect life.If it other batches before the CoronaVirus pandemic, they would have followed the normal protocols which was the ceremony of issuing Certificate of National Service. And it was usually a big ceremony worth celebrating. One can invite friends, family, relations and relatives to come and witness the great ceremony. Read also, How everyone was a victim of CoronaVirus pandemic. I was not happy about the way we were going to receive our Certificate of National Service having witnessed one of the batches going to Awka for collection of CNS. I began to detest CoronaVirus.
It was true that CoronaVirus pandemic made us to stay the remaining three months of service in our different homes due to the CoronaVirus protocol of social distancing and constant washing of hands with soap and water. It may also interest you to read, Her fairy tale romance. I couldn't have believed the benevolence if not for COVID-19 pandemic. The privilege was enormous. Though I had enough rest from all the challenges I was facing at the RCCF family house. So when I got the information of our POP day on the internet especially when Samuel Amadi shared the informed on social media platforms about how the Director General (DG) had strictly mandated that every COVID-19 protocol and rules must be abided to avoid contracting the virus and stop the spread. In fact, that was the reason there would be no ceremonial event because of the crowd, getting congested with corps members and the invitees wouldn't be a good thing and experience considering that government is fighting against the Virus.
I left Aba to Owerri, straight to Irete market where I located my immediate elder brother's house at the street end. I would be spending the night there and early in the morning I would wake up very early to start the travel, the journey to Anambra state, Njikoka wouldn'tbe a funny one. "Are you sure you can meet up the time considering the distance from Owerri to Anambra," said Chris. "Why not find someone, probably a fellow corps member and see if you could come and stay over for the night so that it would be easy for you in the morning. You will relax too and be in good shape on the day," chris suggested. I knew he would accept quickly to offer me accommodation but I dare not except I would want to pass out of service with shame? That night I received alert of my state government allowee in aries. I became excited. They had never paid me a dime since my service, all I was getting my Federal Government Allowee. When I saw my batch and stream testified they had gotten some months of their state allowance I was a bit worried.
I wouldn't want the stress of going for complain at Awka that I haven't been paid my State allowance. So that night I gloated over my allowee coming in bulk. It was N8050 monthly for nine months. It was N72,450. I have already shared my federal government allowee to my family so this one was a surprise that my bank account wouldn't be empty after all.
Early in the morning I woke up by 4am, prepared and waiting for it to tick 6am before leaving Owerri to Anambra but the worse happened. I entered "one chance bus" which ended up stopping and the brake coughing and delayed my travel. I couldn't believe this. It was like devil at work. On the bus a certain woman was sitting by my right hand side carrying a baby looking so worn out and fragile. The baby was about two weeks or three but wasn't looking healthy at all.
When we got at a police checkpoint they stopped our bus, we tbought it was to check for passengers without their nose mask because itvwas heard and witnessed that police officers collecting N5000 from any victim. A certain woman complicated the whole thing. Yes she wasn't with her mask but that wasn't enough reason for her to start hiding her face. So her attitude became strange and obvious and her fretfylul moves became suspicious and the police officer began to ask her who the mother of the baby was and where they were taking the baby to. Instead of this woman comporting herself so as to strongly convince the police officer, she began to point at an old woman who she entered the bus with as the mother of the baby.
An indiscipline act calls for a redress.
We were all lost. But one the police officers asked her to come down, so that they wouldn't delay us. It was assumed an act of kidnapping or abduction. Then the bus zoomed off. The bus kept stopping and picking and dropping passengers. I regretted having entered the bus. Before arrived at Onitsha it was 10am. I saw a bus going to Njikoka, I entered and we moved. I connected one of the corps members at Abba Community Secondary School. I was asking him to bring my clearance form to the local government so that once I arrive I would collect from him and submit so that they would give me my Certificate of National Service. The corps member did but left left it with Samuel Amadi, CLO of Njikoka.
It was 10:20am our bus was still on the way.."The NYSC officials are about to leave, remember the time they gave is 10:00am," Samuel the CLO of Njikoka told me on phone. Five minutes later we arrived at 10:25am already. "They just left now, I tried to convince them to stay for more five minutes yet you weren't able to arrive here," Samuel said. I went mad. How? Again. I looked around the local government only three corps members who happened to meet them and were lucky to collect her CNS when the NYSC officials she was about leaving. So they were taking photographs with their Certificate of National Service.
I couldn't imagine me going back to Owerri without my CNS, so Samuel suggested that I run along I might meet them at Awka before they submit the remaining certificates. There was a corps member from Awka south who was fortunate to be shown mercy by the NYSC official who went to her own local government area Idemili North. I didn't even see any of the officials coming from my own local government, Njikoka. I began to corporate with the other corps members who came late and couldn't meet to be issued their CNS.
Corps members from Njikoka were about eight in number we began to plead with Oby popularly known as Lady B. But before now I met Mrs Anuri Moluokwu entering the gate I ran to her to plead with her to help me and she asked my local government I said she told me she wasn't the person in charge suggesting that I go home and come back next week. For me next week was like next year. I couldn't imagine myself going back to Owerri without my CNS. Why won't I have my way just as others? Why would mine be different in a very terrible way like this?" I lamented.
Life is like a winning pendulum, it swings here and there, never permanent.
I meet another official and this time she told me it was Oby in charge of Njikoka and there is nothing she could do about it because Oby wouldn't listen to anyone. I thought she was joking. Hearing her mentioned Oby my heart clipped on my encounter with her and subsided. Little did I think she wasmy friens, I thought we had become friends not knowing she was a beast in human form. "Oh, aunty Oby I know her, let me go and see her," I said in excitement. "Get out of here and come back next week," the official shouted at me but i wasn't feeling embarrased. I sounded so confident like I knew who I was talking about. They should tell me better because she was their colleague and should be in better position to describe her kind of person.
When everyone knows you as one with inhuman feeling and unpathetic person they will never see anything good in you.
She was angry with me because she thought I was trying to lecture her on who Lady B was. I left outside the gate yet in duress. I couldn't imagine myself not having my certificate the same day with my batch. It was Thursday and next week would be on Tuesday not even Monday. I considered the days involved and persistently waited with other corps members to see if Lady B could do something and pity corps members. One thing she failed to realize was that she never knew when and how she might come across us corps members in future.
We later smuggled inside again and was pleading anticipating she called us in pity and issue us our CNS but nothing like that happened and seemed to happen soon but I was still having hope of something positive. Biggie used to be her crush and paddy in camp. Every time Lady B would be calling Biggie Biggie in camp so he thought because of their closeness in camp that Lady would give him his certificate. He tried all he could but to no avail.
It takes only a bitter and unhappy person to transfer her overwhelming sadness to people.
"She is just a frustrated woman," Biggie said. "What! I thought she is married?" I said. "Na you marry am, she never marry," Biggie said. Biggie was close to her in camp I believed he knew more about her. "But there are some days she would come looking pregnant and some other days would come looking like someone who had just put to bed," I said. "Na you marry am nah, she never marry. She is frustrated. Na me tell am make em no marry till now. This is what I call transfer of aggression," he said. Read also, Things that qualify a good woman.
When we moved close to her office door, so that you would have compassion. She asked us to leave. We insisted on seeing if she would change her mind. When I understood more about her terrible attitude was when we saw the State Coordinator who was always staring at me at Camp officials. We all ran to him as a father pleading to him to plead to Lady B . Guess what he said! "No one meddles on matter like this that has to do with Lady B. She never listens to anybody," Even the State Coordinator couldn'tstand ger?" We'thought in awe, he entered into his car and left.
Shortly, she came out of her office to see if we were gone. By then we had deserted, crossed the road to the other lane, we looked toward the NYSC office and saw her standing and looking at us remorselessly. When I left to Onitsha it was 5 o'clock in the evening. We left Onitsha to Owerri by 6 o'clock the bus was having problems. And not moving in speed. But the worse happened when traffic jam occurred that took about three hours to free again. Before we arrived at Irete market when I was sad how my day went so bad.
What will be will surely be
The bus passed straight to Control junction. What? It was like a movie, the driver must have deliberately done this just to stress me because I was not in good terms with him, we were never in agreement because I transferred my aggression to him. He really want to see me struggle and stressed. Anyways, I had to entered another bus to Irete market.
I returned to Irete, my brother came to pick me because it was 10:30pm. I cried profusely that night. In the morning I began to accept reality, then washed my uniform so as to iron it for Tuesday. I accepted all in good fate.
Whatever you do in life remember to consider other people. Having a human sympathy and showing love to others is one of the best virtues that gives happiness and peace of mind.
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