mroyato:
#8 Orientation camp

As frustrating as it usually is especially during the first week, I bet its going to be the most memorable and most important of all your experience in your one year of service. The friends you make during these period could change your life for a fortune. Many people have met their life partners during those 21days, some got their first job courtesy of the network of friends they made in just 21 days, some their business partners. Trust me wherever your camp is, you'll meet people that could change your life.

The first week is usually all about registrations and documentations leading to a lot of unending queues. As a matter of fact you'll find yourself in nothing less than ten queues..in short you'll queue for almost everything, even food, its always very stressful. But here is the trick, never rush yourself for anything in camp, maybe except food. And as for camp food, its only an option if you are not well loaded.

From day 1 till day 21, you are expected to be up not later than 4:30am, otherwise some soldier and man o'war drills will help you to adapt. The third day of camp is usually like the induction ceremony as you'll be officially welcomed to service by the state governor of the state you are serving, that's when you officially become a corper which is usually followed with a welcoming party. There are a lot of planned and unplanned activities in camp..the planned activities are scheduled by NYSC while you schedule the unplanned ones for yourself e.g maami visitation and babes scouting.

After your documenatations you'll be assigned a number which will automatically fit you into a group usually called platoons. For the first few days, parade is compulsory for every single soul in the morning, afternoon and evening.

After the first week, extra curricular activities such as games, martial arts, socials, camp fire night amongst others start coming up and that can relief the pressure of parade as most unserious fellows would have been sent out of parade by then. The fun is beginning to set in. Like I have always said, please enjoy yourself and make sure you participate in at least one of the social events, its memory will continue to linger on. The second week is also marred with entrepreneurship lectures, which can be very boring.

The third week which is the last is usually for man'o war drills..the mountain/pole climbing, the underground crawl, the stability exercise and the finals of most social events.

Participating in some camp events may influence your posting especially sports but I am not saying its certain as some people will lie you into doing some things all in the name that you'll be posted to the city. If you are keen in serving in the city, you had better start lobbying your way the moment you get settled in camp by seeking the appropriate connections.

And yes for the guys, there are enough babes out there for you, you'll surely find your specs. However, be warned and beware of money sucking creatures who will eat your money, leave you broke and follow another money bank. Or better still, spend your money during camp and after so many love promises, disappears on the closing day of camp, and is no where to be found. Gone and gone forever, you are only left with history and probably the pictures you took together unless fate lands you both in the same local government.

For the ladies, you'll always find that camp maga that will spend on you except you are not well packaged. I know of ladies who brought only 5k to camp and left with the 5k..they didn't spend a dime of their own money in camp yet you see them in mami every day spending money.

The 'mami' is another story on its own but ladies and gentlemen that's the social headquarters in every orientation camp. Whatever social class you belong to, you'll find what you want in mami. That's where most of the networking and stongest connections takes place.

Lest I forget, you'll be paid bicycle allowance(1500), local transport allowance (1000), and your first allowance (19800) in camp.

By the end of the third week, if you have really made the best of your stay in camp, I bet you'll not want to leave again save for the scores you want to settle with that babe that has been spending your money.

But then you aint seen anything yet...

mroyato:
Like I said in my first post, this thread is dedicated to helping you get the best of your service year by sharing some unavoidable events which you'll likely encounter during service and to also answer related questions to the best of my abilities. So in view of this, I'll like to respond in my next update to a message asking me to share some orientation camp experience.

Thank you for staying tuned!!

activelyA:

Please op, what is the situation of the akwa ibom camp?
The lodge, market, soldiers, food, etc

mroyato:


Akwa Ibom camp is cool. It could be a little muddy and untidy after the rains tho. The camp has one of the best state coordinator who ensures that you get the best in camp. The lodges are fairly decent ( kuala lumpor, ecomog) but you need to be in camp early to get a bunk sapce and don't go too early too.

The market is great too..there's virtually everything you need there.

The soldiers are very cool guys infact they maintain very nice and cordial relationships with corp members except you are an official bad guy.

Camp food..well I never tasted camp food during my camp days so I really can't give an assessment regarding that.

Water supply is fairly stable too

Everything is averagely decent and the state coordinator is persistently determined to make the place comfortable. You'll love the place

activelyA:

Ooh thanks!

But you said go early, later you said don't go too early....what is your reason for this?
I reside very far that is, I will be in camp the day before it begins.... Is that too early?

What of light availability... Are there somethings you word advice one brings along to avoid being uncomfortable

mroyato:


Akwa ibom is about 15hours at maximum from most part of Nigeria..so its a journey you will cover in a day no matter where you are coming from

Going to camp early is a NO for me not to talk of going a day before camp..anyways its your choice but you'll see it doesn't make any difference, I also don't mean that you should go late but the second day of camp is usually perfect.

Like I always say, you do not need to trouble yourself with loads ans stuffs when going to camp..the only weapon you need is enough money especially as a guy.

You get power supply in the morning say by 5am and you'll have it till say 6am..by then anyways you'll be on parade. You'll also get some supply in the evening but it usually doesn't exceed 10pm...sometimes at afternoon too but it aint got any guarantee.

Emyben:
What kinda bathroom is used in camp? Is it a one person per bath? Or a hall where all Tom and Harry bath same time?

Emyben:
What kinda bathroom is used in camp? Is it a one person per bath? Or a hall where all Tom and Harry bath same time?

debris:

Lmao
Lmao

Emyben:
What kinda bathroom is used in camp? Is it a one person per bath? Or a hall where all Tom and Harry bath same time?

mroyato:


Rivers- Home of Nigeria's oil and gas, safe, [s]also one of Nigeria's high paying states for corpers [/s], standard of living is quite expensive, good road and communication network.

mroyato:
#10 Place of Secondary Assignment

There are two places of compulsory assignment during your service year. Your place of primary assignment is the first which you are expected to go all week except for one day. That one day you are expected to be in your place of secondary assignment, called the CDS meaning community development service. This is the part where you can directly give back to the society on your own or in group. Your local government inspector has the responsibility of distributing newly deployed corpers into cds groups. The groups are endless and some groups are unavailable in some places especially if its unneccessary or does not really serve a purpose to the immediate community. The common groups include press/editorial cds, MDG, ICPC, FRSC (road safety), Environmental, charity, and co. You'll be assigned to one of such groups and a day of the week is usually picked for meetings usually thursday or Friday. Each time you see a lot of corpers on the road wearing their kits, its their cds day and they are going to the place of their secondary assignment usually held together at the NYSC quarters at various local governments.

Many corp members have earned themselves national recognitions, awards, recommendations and even jobs because of the projects they undertook during their service year. Although its not mandatory to take up any project,if you find a very dying need that could change the live of a community, you might try to do something about it and you could be on your way to getting a national award of service, it could change your live for good.

Well save for the fact that the cds brings together all the corp members in a particular local government, I see it as a sheer waste of time and resources as it is usually a means of extorting money from corp members by corp members. On the other hand, failure to attend could land you in trouble but there's always a way out in your place of secondary assignment.

Chrisilo:

@OP, great job u ar doin here... pls i have some few questions:
1. Can u elucidate more on what corp members do in those cds u listed above, like those in MDG, what do they do?

2. Which day will the posting letters for PPA be given, is it the last day in camp or a day before?
Thanks!