by Olabode Emmanuel Olawumi
Camp was fun. Although, I didn't love every part of it. There
was the good, the bad and the ugly.
Let me tell you about the ugly and the bad before I tell you
about the good.
The Ugly
*Pensive* The truth is, there was no ugly moment at the
orientation camp. I didn't have any ugly experience. Others
might have, but I can't remember a personal one.
The bad
Was there any bad moment for me in camp? I think I had a
few of them. After eating at Mami market a couple of times, I
ceased feeding my stomach with their food. There was this
strange smell that made me nauseous. No matter how hard I
tried to explain to people, only one or two people among
those I explained to admitted they noticed the same thing.
It was this soapy taste and odour that came with the food.
Someone said it could have been related to the use of little
pepper. I heard the people here don't like so much pepper.
They add a minute amount to their delicacies. I committed
myself to the food from the kitchen it was better (in taste for
me). The turn off was how small each meal was.
It didn't even get anywhere. Often times, I complemented it
with Indomie and egg prepared at Mami. I didn't have any
complain about that. Being unable to get satisfaction from the
meals was a turn off for me. Asides the food, I can't
remember any other bad moment. Wait a minute. The lectures
were not meant for me. Too long and irrelevant. Personal
opinion!
The good!
Holy Moses!
Where do I start from?
EBONYI WHATSAPP GROUP
I got added to TM EBONYI A'2 Group by Thomicom the
Thursday before we were meant to resume camp. I wanted to
get myself familiar with what was ahead me. I had earlier
planned to travel Sunday morning but one Dhebbie in the
group suggested we travelled on Saturday night so we could
get to Enonyi during the day.
Thomicom and I agreed to join her on the trip, since her idea
made sense. At 9:30pm on Saturday night, The Young Shall
Grow Luxurious bus conveying us to Ebonyi state departed
Jibowu bus stop. I slept most part of the night journey until we
got to Enugu early the next morning. I was awake till we
arrived Abakaliki. It was another 1 hour 30 minutes drive from
Abakaliki to Afikpo, where the orientation camp is situated.
The three of us got to camp some minutes after noon and that
was how the journey began. I also got familiar with a couple of
people from the WhatsApp group. Some, I met in person,
others I didn't. So far, the group has been a sweet and
interesting family. People like Marrie, Queen B, Busayo, Kristie,
Massive, Dr Phil, Vingeophysicst, The Law, Debbie, Tomiwa,
among others are names I can't forget.
OBS…
OBS was turnt!
I joined the Orientation Broadcast Service (OBS) and was
appointed the Head, Correspondent. My duty was to work with
other correspondents to gather news for the news casters. I
also had the opportunity to be a newscaster. I never knew I
could do that. I think I should pay more attention to, and
maximize my voice. It's good for radio, acting (I know this
already), presenting and the likes.
I became friends with and met lovely people at OBS; Obi,
Diran, Ogaga, Uche, Dami, Uzor, Ngozi, Bobola, Ololade, Tobi,
MC Believer, to mention a few. These young individuals
confirmed the fact that Nigeria is filled with young, innovative,
hardworking, excellent, creative, dedicated individuals. I
watched them sacrifice a lot to work with the NYSC officials
to organise and manage programmes.
They proved to me that truly, OBS is the light, voice and heart
of the camp. These great men brought their skills to work and
we all saw it. Time will not permit me to mention the special
qualities and the lessons I learnt from the aforementioned
persons. My only message for them is to continue being the
best in their chosen field and make service and humility their
watchword.
PARADE
The parade was another good thing that happened to me. I
wasn't just enchanted by the activities; the soldiers were the
best thing after independence. From them, I learnt
commitment, loyalty, sacrifice, leadership, victory, practice,
diligence in words, humor and lots more.
Forget those huge figures dressed in Khaki, they were fun to
be with in camp. They made camp rock. The commandant,
the RSM, the other members of the army who led each
platoon were amazing. The parade was something I looked
forward to but once it gets to a stage I can't stand the stress,
I take a sick excuse or I flaunt my OBS card, claim I have work
to do and move down to the studio.
Although I didn't have to be in the OBS studio every time, It
however was an escape from the parade ground when the
need emerged.
PLATOON 8
My platoon was a conglomerate of back benchers from
various universities. By benchers, I mean the lackadaisical
ones. They were unbothered about anything and everything.
We topped the chart in being punished. We had so much noise
makers and care free people who just wanted to be done with
it.
Thanks to Saheed, who got us gold in the Miss Pretty
Competition and our girls who tried to find a 3rd position in
Volleyball, we would have been as worse as platoons 2 and 5.
I doubt if those ones got any recognition at all. However, in the
last few hours of camp, I felt my platoon members bonded
better.
I saw a lot of people participate in preparation for the cooking
competition. We had inputs from a lot of people. At the end it
was a great time. I can't conclude this part without mention of
Adaora, Emmanuel, Chichi (my platoon lover), Sherriff, Zubbie,
IB and their crew. They were the real gees.
Despite the lack of interest, support and cooperation from a
larger part of the platoon members, they gave their all into
seeing that we could move forward as a team. They had the
zeal but we underestimated them.
PLATOON 4
The Dreaded Platoon
Officer Sahaad! (I hope I got the spelling). That man is
phenomenal. He is a true definition of a leader. Ambitious,
motivated, a motivator, a disciplinarian to the core, a friend, a
colleague. Words aren't just enough to describe this man. I
would pick him as my Man of the Orientation Camp. His
platoon was the envy of all.
From the first day with his platoon members, he made it clear
he was here to win, win and win. He grabbed the highest
number of trophies in the competitions held in camp.
Although, he had some huge losses, he was undeterred. He
soared high above other platoon officers and led his team to
victory. I will never forget this man and I would say I was
fortunate to have had an interview with him.
THE LADIES
I know this is a part a lot of people would want to hear. Before
I went to camp, I have heard so much unprintable words about
boy-girl relationships in camp. I heard a lot of people throw
caution to the wind in camp. I also got familiar with the "What
happens in camp stays in camp" line.
I witnessed a few firsthand but I heard stories too. The things
I saw eeehn… My mouth cannot mutter. I had a crush on one
particular girl, I liked another, but that was just all about it. I
decline to speak further on this before SHE comes asking me
questions.
Let's just say, I didn't get myself involved in anything that
would have tarnished my image or ruined my relationship with
the best woman in the world after my mother.
NYSC DG
The Director General of the National Youths Service Corps,
NYSC, Sulyman Kazaure paid a visit to Ebonyi on July 17th. He
visited us – Batch A, Stream 2 corps members at the
Orientation Camp in Afikpo, Ebonyi State.
I had a rare privilege to have an interview with him, courtesy,
OBS and the ever supportive Ebonyi camp, PRO. We also had
an opportunity to take a picture with the boss himself,
alongside the state coordinator, Mrs Gladys Mbachi. I felt I
had just been in a picture with the president. I forever cherish
that moment.
PPA
My heart beamed with joy when I received my letter for my
Place of Primary Assignment (PPA). I was posted to the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism without lobbying for anything.
Eeerm. That's God's grace at work.
He's a faithful God. I was thinking earlier today, and I
remembered my final year project was: Promoting Culture and
National Unity through Nigerian Films, using Tunde Kelani's
"Arugba" and "Thunderbolt" as a case study.
Could it be a coincidence? I don't think so. A lot of people
have been asking me if I redeployed. They get disappointed
when I say NO. The next question they ask is "How will you be
able to run OYA from Ebonyi?"
OYA is a moving train. OYA is not just me. OYA is a team of
creative and talented individual coming together to make a
difference in their society. As a team, we will combine our
experience, influence and demography to build a global
leading media brand.
We have a team of people in different parts of the country and
we will all unite to serve our readers and client better.
Personally, I'm optimistic about my posting and I'm believing
in God for the best in this service year.
I am keeping an open mind. This will be the most interesting
year ever. No time for negativity. Positive vibes only.
Regardless of how the system frustrates us, we will continue
to do our best in our own capacity. God bless Nigeria.
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