Very important tips to survive as an NYSC corps Member

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There are so many wrong notions about the NYSC scheme, the most comon one ahould be the word, 'corper' it really does not exist, even in your dictionary, *winks*. 

That said, i'd write a seperate article about misconceptions about NYSC. But for today, lets check out these all important tips every prospective "Corper" needs to know.

Battling pre-harmattan cold in Northern Nigeria

As some of you already know, i'm currently spending my one year of compulsory national service in Kaduna. I remember the reaction of many of my friends and my own personal trepidation when i was initially posted to Gombe state. Anyways i applied for and was granted relocation to Kaduna state, not really because there was any real threats in Gombe state, but because i believed Kaduna was slightly safer, more populated and very importantly, more cosmopolitan. This is my first account of my stay so far in Kaduna state. Although there is so much to talk about, i'd rather write my account in batches, starting from the most immediate to the more remote.

An interview with someone currently in Jigawa camp - by Onyeoziri Favour

This is an exclusive interview by Onyeoziri Favour with someone currently at the Jigawa Camp. Courtesy of Rouvafe.blogspot.com.

I know that many people have been very curious to know exactly what the Jigawa camp looks like, others also have several unanswered questions regarding the camp, so in other to satisfy your curiosity  and mine, i took out my time to interview this Corper who is currently at the Jigawa orientation camp and this is what he had to say about Life in the camp. I hope you find this information helpful.

Rouvafe: How has camp been so far?
Kaylords: Jigawa has been tough and rough. It hasn't been easy Bro

Rouvafe: Finally u came online. Thank God
Kaylords: Lol. The soldiers no give us rest at all

Rouvafe: Sorry, it would soon be over
Kaylords: Thanks

Rouvafe: please which network is the best in Jigawa camp?
Kaylords: No network is good here. The network is usually fair at midnight.

Rouvafe: I heard Etisalat is good there?
Kaylords: In fact you no go even get time to browse in day time. I only have time to chat with you now because we are currently on inter-platoon parade.

Rouvafe: God help us. How is the weather over there?
Kaylords: The sun over here is like hell fire.

Rouvafe: Wow. How do one get drinking water?
Kaylords: There is sachet water in abundance here, the only downside is that its always hot due to the hot weather.

Rouvafe: How about electricity?
Kaylords: There is no power supply here,
I will advice you to buy a good power bank, because right now, its only my power bank that i use to charge my phone.

Rouvafe: I heard power is constant in many other camps across the country.
Kaylords: PHCN here is very bad, we spend most of the day outside on the parade ground. However, the camp generator usually comes on for only two hours at night.

Rouvafe: So just two hours power supply a day?
Kaylords: I only know about night. I cannot say for daytime, because we spend most of the daytime on the parade ground.

Rouvafe: You mean that you spend the whole day on the parade ground without any time allotted for resting?
Kaylords: Just two hours rest in the afternoon and that is usually without electricity.

Rouvafe: Chai
Kaylords: Yap

Rouvafe: I don enter am
Kaylords: Lol

Rouvafe: How about the camp environment, is it OK?
Kaylords: I will advice you to buy a good body cream which you will use at night, because the heat wont let you use body cream during the day. Aside the heat, everywhere is good.

Rouvafe: Is there cold at night?
Kaylords: No cold at all, the weather is always hot. Every night we have to wet our beds with water to make it cold.

Rouvafe: Wow
Kaylords: My guy, I mean every word I tell you.

Rouvafe: Are the toilet & bath facilities good?
Kaylords: Yea, even the hostels are nice.

Rouvafe: How about redeployment,
Can someone redeploy from Jigawa citing security concerns?
Kaylords: No

Rouvafe: What of Gombe?
Kaylords: Yes

Kaylords: Were you deployed to Gombe?
Rouvafe: Yes

Kaylords: your orientation camp will be at Jigawa
Rouvafe: Yea, i know

Rouvafe: So is there any other useful information that i need to know about the Jigawa camp?
Kaylords: Yes. Just make sure you come with enough money.

Rouvafe: Ok Sir, Like how much is ideal?
Kaylords: about ten thousand naira.

For any further enquiries, comments and suggestions, drop your comments in the comments box below. You can also contact me at favouronyeoziri@gmail.com or through bbm at 7c6f5de2

Jide Runs Mad - The NYSC Chronicles

The Soldiers couldn't just comprehend how someone could be so lazy and weak. They could clearly remember the years before they joined the military, even as young civilians, they were very hardworking and engaged their youthfulness in physically exhilarating activities. Okon still remember how at the young age of fourteen, his father had already assigned him two acres of farmland in their native village at Cross rivers.

 

Farming and fishing were the predominant occupation of his people, therefore he quickly inherited both occupations from his father. By five in the morning, his whole family would wake up, wash their faces, arms and feet, then head to the farm which was about five kilometers away from their residence. They usually returned just before the sun went to sleep, then spent about  three hours fishing from late night till early the next morning. Okon knew that by the age of nineteen when he finally joined the Nigerian military, he was already a hardened young man, roughened and rugged from the lifelong engagement in farming and fishing, the escapades into the forest for dry cooking wood in the rainforest area of Cross river was an experience which haunted him everyday.

 

The three soldiers just watched Jide, a forlorn expression written on his face, and with a pitiful piece of paper on his hands. He claimed that the paper was proof of his initial claim of feeling sickly and therefore unable to participate in the everyday, early morning parade ritual. This was not their first time of

Ambassadors of promiscuity - The NYSC chronicles part 5

My last post on this blog primarily featured two young men in one of the orientation camps who were caught having sex and were decamped, although in a very quiet manner.

However the case seems to be the opposite in Akwa Ibom state, where a heterosexual couple were caught in the act and were allowed to go unpunished because of the political influence of one of the parents.

It was barely nine-thirty in the evening and many corpers were either loitering around or gossiping at Mami market which was the social hub of the orientation camp. Today was the fifth day since the resumption of camp for we Batch A Corpers, therefore many of us had made new friends from the horde of youths who were sent here for the three weeks orientation course. While some of us were still on the platonic stage of knowing each other, a few others progressed with lightning speed and were already referring to themselves with the glorified title of 'Boyfriend' and 'Girlfriend', i couldn't help but watch in awe, how possible it was for so much love to have bred within the short time frame of five days, especially with consideration extended to the fact that most of the time, we were at one parade, lecture or camp activity, thereby having very little time for socialization and chit-chats.

Sex in the camp - The NYSC chronicles part 4

Sex in the camp - Introduction

It appears that last night, Saturday 9th May 2015, there was a widespread party across many NYSC camps throughout the federation. While some camps such as Lagos were having a fun time, others like Kogi and Abuja seemed to have been grossly disappointing.

The Corpers in Kogi who were all happy at the prospect of an impending party, were disappointed when the barely an hour show ended without them having had any fun at all. In the words of Cynthia; one of the Corpers, the party which lasted between 9-10pm was "boring and stupid". While other camps were graced with the presence of top notch music arts and comedians, those in Kogi state had only the presence of native dancers supported by the merry children of the Women at Mammy market.

Ogun state camp was graced with the presence of Davido and Lil Kesh, while Oyo state camp had Ayo Adesanya, Bash the comedian and Adetoun of project fame in attendance, Davido was live in Taraba to the much delight of the Corpers, while on a lighter note, Zaki reportedly made a torchlight appearance at Katsina camp. I purposely left-out Lagos camp, because it was a huge concert there and everyone who is anyone in the Nigerian entertainment space was in attendance, Basket Mouth not excluded. Just for your information also, Lagos camp is just a scam compared to what other Corpers are facing in other states, in-fact majority of the Lagos Corpers have rightly asserted that they are not in camp, but were in-fact having a 'Faaji' (Festival).

Sex in the camp - full gist

Tonight, Musa could not be swayed by the appealing crispness of five one thousand Naira notes, neither was his ear audible to the pleas of such an atrocious duo. If it were under sharia law, both perpetrators would have been stoned until life exited their immoral bodies, but tonight, that would not be the case.

Can we really trust NYSC food? - The NYSC chronicles part 3

"If i hear say i chop tuwo" was the first thing i heard immediately she picked my call. Upon further enquiry, i realised that she was actually replying one of her fellow Corpers who had asked her if she was interested in the dinner being offered that night; Tuwo.

I don't know about every single camp in the country, but i sincerely hope that part of the acculturation process does not involve forcing Corpers to eat the local dishes of their host communities. Else, why would you offer Tuwo to an Edo girl who had spent a better part of her life in Lagos. I guess this is just one of those dynamics of NYSC which may never be fully demystified.