The purpose of this piece is to give a personal view of the National Youth Service based on my experience. I recently concluded the 3 weeks orientation camp at Iyana Ipaja and I’m now serving. What I write here is exactly how I feel. Others may feel otherwise.
Before continuing, it is useful for me to say a bit about myself. I finished college in 2011 somewhere abroad however I had no intention of getting into the working population there, so I moved back to Nigeria and pursued other ways of making money. Think Music, Sports, Arts, Fashion etc… I chose to focus my efforts on one of the categories I just mentioned….and it wasn’t easy. To cut a long story short it was very hard. Hard to the point I had to beg for money and do menial jobs to survive. I eventually traveled to a foreign nation to escape the hardship of Nigeria, and this traveling even showed me greater hardship.
For two years I worked towards my goal but things only got worse so I returned to Nigeria. Some say I wasted two years; other family members said I came back to Nigeria to cause trouble. Due to the harsh experience I had when I traveled to pursue my career, upon returning, I saw Nigeria in a different light. Nigeria looked beautiful! Nigeria looked easy! It now seemed like I could easily cope. I became propelled to pursue NYSC in August 2014, and camp was like heaven. Part of the reasons camp felt easy was because I had faced far greater things, and camp was simply a walk in the park.
For a moment lets put my experience aside; everyone’s experience is personal to them…so no one can say theirs is greater than the other man’s. My experience should be kept on hold. Lets talk Spiritual! In some camps I have heard a mysterious Whirlwind appears on some occasions, but this wasn’t my experience in the Lagos camp. Over a thousand youth were gathered in one place, many of whom had never met before. Suddenly we became friends; worked together, played together, and drank together. NYSC is about Unity. The beauty of life is in socializing and meeting new people; the beauty of life is in stepping out of your comfort zone and taking bold steps; the beauty of life is in taking risks; the beauty of life is in seeing the “other side” (then you’ve got the experience of both sides), creating your own niche, and doing what your heart desires. An individual’s life should be about Productivity, Philanthropy and Prosperity…..and NYSC offers all this, or at least tries to offer this.
Something happened in camp which actually made me quite sad. I saw some foreign students leaving as they couldn’t handle it. One of them said to me he can’t use the toilet. Even some local students couldn’t handle it; making me understand that handling NYSC is not about whether you schooled abroad or stayed home or whether you’ve had a tough experience in life or not. Rather it is about how open one is to different experiences. It is about being able to view life from all directions, not from just one direction. Being ready to accept comfort and discomfort; being able to accept the good and the bad; being able to accept all the positives and negatives that occur in this life. The Chinese call this ‘Ying Yang’, and unless a person is able to understand that life is about balance, then they can never see its true beauty.
My expectation of the NYSC program was pretty low due to all the lies people told me about it. Many said it was a waste of time; some said it wasn’t necessary. But it was necessary in every way! I must confess my aim of getting into it was just to get out from my parent’s home/business and find work somewhere else. Then I realized this scheme offered more to me than any other thing. You may wonder how….Well that one year will give you time to meditate and plan your life better; it will allow you reflect on the past and really think of what your purpose really is. Also when you are serving you are working, acquiring skills and meeting new people. So really one year is not being wasted, rather your CV is even being developed. As at now I am learning tailoring and also teaching in a school where I have the opportunity to impact and shape younger kids!
NYSC is magical; everything changes. Strangers would see you in a bus and start shouting Copper! Copper! You could even try and not pay toll gate charges (I did that), people will at times give you a pass because you are in service to your country. I just finished camp, so I’ve still got about 11 more months to continue serving, however the 3 weeks experience I had in camp has assured me it will be a glorious year regardless. Understand that I am not saying it is all jolly. Like I said earlier, it’s about Balance. Life is about Balance.
While serving in Lagos, you receive about 20k naira from government, and really kudos to Lagos government. They are giving us something! Yes, 20k is something, and if used wisely, it is quite sufficient. People will always find where to chop money; humans always want profit. So yes the officials handling this program are chopping money however they are still giving coppers something.
So my personal grade for the NYSC program so far is 79%. Here’s why:
* Uniform, Shoes and Boots: Very low quality. My trousers kept ripping which meant I had to always pay to stitch it. I got shoes that weren’t my size so yea I had to pay to change them too. But the fees were small, usually about 200 naira or so.
* Food: Was okay. It’s really meant to keep you from being hungry rather than fully satisfy you. But they did their best; they were consistent. This shouldn’t be an issue, but I like plenty and high quality food, so for me it was. I often went twice to collect though (and of course this wasn’t allowed).
This score may change as the year progresses, but my hope and desire is that it increases.
As a side note: If anyone has a problem with the toilets, the solution is simple: carry along Dettol! But really the toilets are okay. They were all fixed before we came in….but it’s good to be realistic. Many people are going to use those toilets every day, so just prepare your mind that once in a while you may see what you don’t like. Lest I forget at the Lagos camp I served in, cleaners tried their best to clean it everyday.
Read another experience at the Lagos NYSC Camp here
Read another experience at the Delta NYSC Camp here
Read another experience at the Ogun NYSC Camp here
I must start by saying, the first write up was rather enlightening and I can say a good review and judgement of NYSC as a whole but that being said, everyone would eventually have their own views and experiences and for me, I didn’t like my NYSC, and well probably because I was not open to being in a different environment and living standard. So to start I was posted to Oyo state which I was happy about at first being that I reside in Lagos and even if everyone said Lagos camp was easy , I actually wanted to experience a different state and what it had to offer and luckily despite my mum having tried to work it to Lagos, I got Oyo, the journey was nice, long though but I was up for it…upon getting there which was late, I think all the good spaces in the camp for beds had been taking but oh well I got a bed and a bunkmate who seemed friendly but nah I was definitely having a mood swing..lol..i don’t necessarily like crowd and 20 or more in a room is definitely crowd for me, I went to a private Uni, maybe that contributed, anyways the next most irritating part which is very crucial to wherever I stay is the bathroom/Toilet, so we had to bath in an open space that was fenced, and it was definitely manageable over the first few days but definitely that faded over time, and added up to no water on some occasions left hygiene and toilet to the wind, I had to look for a way out, I was so miserable, I locked up, wasn’t open to talking with anyone as I was puzzled how so many people went about life being confined here with all this living updo, anyways I eventually lied that I had previous toilet infection and had to be moved and I got a good move. I met a Friend who made it her personal mission to see me on a lighter mood..lol and a bit happy with my experience because she sure as hell did..anyways moving on to the 1 year I was posted to a village..like a freaking village named ”Iganna” and once again I tried to have an open mindset to Nysc experience but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t that girl, I had to fetch water daily from wells located different sites of the village, Oh! no this wasn’t life, pooping in nylons and bushes, …hell no! and to top it teaching in a school setting that seemed like all they wanted to be was pluck mangoes, speak Yoruba only and flirt around,. I was atleast pleased with the self contained room I lived in, I tried to make it as modern as I could with fansm cupbaorads, electric cooker, laptop, but everyone knew I definitely wasn’t fit in the setting, the way I spoke, dressed, my likes, what I complained about, I eventually was lucky I had one excuse or the other and any chance I had I was out and back to Lagos civilization.. I will end it here but I don’t agree to Nysc, Iit might have opened doors to some that can and have the ability to be open to new experiences and living but I couldn’t and many more like me definitely can’t but I’m sure it is a good experience everyone should go through but probably not for one year..lol
Efe really speaks like the outsiders , not her fault , not at all. With everything you mentioned as yah qualification I see no reason why u cannot cope even a clumsy enviroment…don’t wait for the cleaners and try sleeping closer to the window
Bet why would I want to have to cope in a clumsy environment?
Very good write up and i like the enthusiasm shown by the writer.
NYSC is a very good idea and i love the intention behind the project; but i certainly do have my reservations. Idealy i’ll blame the government for the most part, but thats not fair considering we all have roles to play to make it a great experience.
The living condition in ipaja is not conducive….the toilets, sleeping arrangements, uniforms, food are all sub-par; and these are the common issues known by most of us. There are sooo many understated problems in this program and perhaps i need to do another piece to highlight them extensively.
Anyway, i think the NYSC experience can be great for some and really bad for others… the latter was the case for me.
I got 2weeks left to complete mine and i certainly cannot wait to be done with this program.
Lovely write up by Greatness.
If only those preparing for NYSC can read this write up before going, they would make better use of the experience rather than complain.
For those who understand, that 1 year of NYSC could be a used to build a very strong foundation to build the rest of ones life on.
If I had read something like this before going for my NYSC in 2005, I probably would have used it more productively.
Though I served in one remote place in Enugu state, the experience was worth it.
Nice work Efe G.
And just to mention, Efe is someone I know can fit into any place she wants to.
hi Wilson Gboneme, i just got posted to enugu(agwu) and being a foreign student I’m very worried about surviving there . i would appreciate it if you can please tell me about the camp and things i should know or bring with me? awaiting your response
I know Efe to some degree, and with my knowledge of her, I think she will fit in perfectly. ‘She will be the perfect specimen’. I actually see her as an individual that can use her little resources to create strong change, whether outside or inside Nigeria.
Okay lets be clear, no one said you should ditch your job. Secondly, most of your complaints are like you are living in another reality. “A camp is not meant to foster convenience, Discovery channel and National Geographic have got many examples”.
Finally I end with an Igbo proverb: “A woman that has been told the baby will bite during pregnancy can believe, howbeit when she herself experiences pregnancy, she will make her own personal conclusion.”
Efe is really living a good life. And I know it will be difficult for you to fit in the nysc system. For all the experience,ur job,the conducive and secure environment in the US, I personally won’t advice you to ditch them just for Nysc sake. I think you might get exemptions,if u still choose to comeback. As for all the poor facilities and infrastructures in the nysc camp…dats Nigeria for u, I don’t think it will change anytime soon.
LOL at living a good life! I think I can fit in to be honest. I just think the conditions for serving can serve as a deterrent to move back…
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing! I think this is a different spin on what we usually hear about NYSC. I find it interesting that you mentioned you are learning tailoring…not sure how that’d fit into the resume. But it’s cool you are teaching and feel like you can make an impact.
Here’s my thing though: I’ve lived outside of Nigeria for about 6+ years now. I went to college in the US, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to other parts of the world, and currently work in “Corporate America”. I travel pretty frequently for work too (I’m a Consultant) and have had some very challenging and rewarding experiences so far. I also volunteer in my community; I mentor high school and college kids, assist with feeding the homeless, etc. My pay is pretty decent and I like to think I’m comfortable.
Now, if for example, I decide to move back home today I’d have to do NYSC right? I’m not sure I can quickly see the additional skillsets I’d be adding to my resume by participating in this program, but I can see how I’d be serving my country and hopefully pouring into someone else’s life. That’s fine with me. But my issue is this: Why can’t the govt assist me in serving my country in an environment that promotes cleanliness and proper hygiene? Why would I have to room with about 35+ other people and mosquitoes would be biting me? Why will you pay me only 20k!?!? And why are my uniforms made of subpar material to the extent that I’d have to get it stitched frequently?!!?!
If you say I should serve, I will serve. But at least meet me half way!