|
dominique (f)
|
my sisters asks me all the time why i'm so concerned about the current state of our football, and i just had to point it pout to them that; like it or not, football is one of the few good things this country is known for, if that goes away, what is left? Nigeria, country with inadequate water/power supply, conmen all over the world, dangerous criminals and of course a plane crash every other year (even if we dont record another in decades to come). all we can do is pray thats things improves for the common man and for the sake of patriotism (if not for anything else), we should help where and when we can and not rely on the (not so efficient) government. remember a great leader once said; THINK NOT OF WAHT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
ASK NOT OF WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY
Thats really hard if you are a Nigerian. at times it can be really hard to do the right thing, seeing accident victims on roadsides and all you can do is watch, walk away or (if you are very, very nice), try to offer first aid. all because no one wants to go through the process of the police report stress when they get to the hospitals, then you have to worry about the medical bills.
i saw a corpse of a young child (between 4-6 years old) dumped beside the road last year. (clearly not an hit and run) all i did was walk away. for days, i was really upset and i felt a pang of guilt and a lot of questions swept through my mind: who and where the hell were the parents, was he/she killed or just died and most importantly, if the child had been dying instead, what would i have done.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i was reading otocks "in the cybercafe" (one of the most consistent post in this section, keep it up  ) where he wrote about his expreience with union bank officials, then i became convinced that this (once) great bank is basically the same all over the country when it comes to customer satisfaction. my friend narrates her ordeal with the bankers in LUTH branch, also my sister in Ile Ife branch. another thing they all have basically the same type of workers there, a bunch of old saucy people you can't afford to be rude to (so much for respecting your elders). UNION BANK , BIG, STRONG, RELIABLE (INDEED) |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
Whenever i see the almost completed GTB at abule egba, my heart swells with pride as i may have had a hand in the existence of the bank. During the first semester of my final year, i went to deposit some money at the ojuelegba branch, i challenged the cashier why there's no branch on lagos-abeokuta expressway. I also told him that i'll be graduating soon and i stay around that area. The guy gave me a complaint form to fill and promised that it will be looked into, and now the branch will be completed within a month. To bad i wont be able to bank there for at least a year, What a customer friendly bank, union bank should take classes on customer satisfaction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i've had one hell of a week, but as they say, what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. just got posted to benue state, looking forward to the adventure. adios  |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
Barke Jumah fellow moslem nairalanders At last, this stressful horrendous week is FINALLY over (PRAISE GOD) it all started on monday when i had to go for an interview on monday, it was also the day the BRT buses were officially launched on lagos roads, that was one of the worts traffic i've ever encountered in my life, everywhere was blocked. i spent about an hour to get to iyana ipaja alone throughout most of the journey a molue emptied its exaust fumes into our bus and we nearly chocked to death, what really infuriated me was that, while we were dying of carbon monoxide poisoning, the people in the bus were unaffected, so much for comfort and luxury in a mini bus. this aint sufferin n smiling, just sufferin  . |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
after the ordeal on monday, i was preparing to spend the whole of tuesday at home, but my friend called me to come to school the next day for my statement of results and NYSC call up letter, i got to school and found about 2000 grads all eager for the same purpose, there were told that statements of results for my department were not even available and they just sent a message to them. after wasting all day, i returned home empty handed, wed was public hols. thursday was even worse because we had to wait till around 7 before they told us that the results are not available afterall.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
Countdown to NYSC; 2 days
i'm so excited, its a whole new esperience. i was a bit really disappointed when i didnt get FCT, but now i'm so excited, i cant wait to leave already. i'm so prepared for the adventure although i've not started packing yet!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i dont believe the introduction of brt buses will solve the transport situation in our state. if anything it is giong to cause more problems, i mean what sense does it make dedicating an entire lane to just brt buses (are they even up to 500 sef), then restricting all other vehicles including private cars, cabs, trucks, lorries, bikes and buses of all shapes and sizes to just 2 lanes  . ikorodu road is now a nightmare cos of it and the most annoying part is that you see a free lane and you cant do a damt thing about thing. i believe if they can improve alternate means of transport, like trains and ferries, construct or renovate alternate routes to deconjest traffic on expressways and most importantly, make the lanes available to all. then, maybe we can solve the transport in lagos. another solution is if everybody gets the hell out of the state (at least i'm about to ) |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
one of the things that annoy me most in this country is the way people abuse power and authority given to them. lastweek, my mum was fined a hefty sum by lastma officials for reversing on the expressway, during the confrontation a commercial bus went past us using one way. we asked why they are letting it go and what they said is that the bus has a police sticker on it, so it belongs to a policeman and automatically it is above the law. then my mind flashed back to my uni days when one of my former roomies whose mum is an high ranked lastma official rained insults on the guy that caught her for not only not recognizing her, he also had the audacity to try and impound her car and she obviously broke traffic regulations. is this what power does to people? if so i don't think i will ever run for office for anything in this country, i can't even date anyone with serious political ambitions, i'll be darned if i stand by and watch my husband turn into a monster right before my eyes, thats why i can't date anyone who believes his future is in politics.
I wasnt home to watch the power probe, so what was the outcome, don't know and really don't care because i know no real actions will be taken against those that squandered over 17 billions on God knows what, its just like another oputa panel, after wasting everybody's time they all go home and all is forgotten.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
this is my last post here for a while. . . plenty of benue gist to come. ariverdaci
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
its been almost 4 weeks since i last posted on this thread and i have no idea what to write. all i can say is that i've really missed this site and ofcourse this journal and i was looking forward to start posting asap, now i'm here. i have so much to say that i don't know where to start from. Before i go further, lat me wish my pal mustay a happy belated birthday. May The Almighty increase you in wisdom and strength and achievements as you increase in age. emi a se opolopo odun laye o (AMIN).
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
on 28th of march 2008, i arrived at the nysc orientation camp feeling absolutely lost and confused on what to do next. luckily, i met some of the batch b corpers of the previous set who came to assist freshers like moi. with their help, i was able to get through the stages of registration. life in camp was a bitter sweet mixture of good and bad times. one of the worst times was when my number tag got seized by one of the zombies for "disrespecting" him just because i didnt run when he ordered me to. that way i couldnt collect my bicycle allowance (a paltry sum of 1000 box). another one of the bad moments was when i got into a fight with one the lousy igbo girls on the queue for water. overall camp life was more sweet than bitter. one of the best times was the endurance trek where we trekked for almost 4 hrs, gisting and singing all the way. afterwards, we climbed a pretty steep hill. hand in hand with my guy pal, we both climbed the hill unaided (unlike those who had use ropes  ). the saddest part was i diddint get at least half of the pics i took that day, that made for another bad monent when i rained insults on the photog for not printing extra copies of the pics after i paid him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i have to say that the NYSC camp is a perfect rehab for tv junkies like me. now that i'm back, i dont watch much t.v like before. not much intrests me on tv and now i'm more bored than ever. (i really need to get a hobby).
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
The sometimes stressful 3 weeks of orientation camp was a piece of cake compared to the 3 days that followed. on 16th april i received my primary assignment posting to reach in a school in Agatu L.G.A. Agatu is a plave every corper prays never to go because its known for the huts, lack of water, light and most importantly no network. so anybody in that town must be prepared to be separated from civilization as we know it. so you can imagine what was going through my mind when i first got the letter. first i shivered a bit and my first instinct was to rip the paper into shreds, then i tried to think back on my actions over the past weeks, how horrible i must have been to deserve such a terrible fate (i'm a firm believer in the laws of karma). everyone who sympathized was secretly happy it wasnt them. i told one of the camp officials my plight, he was also shocked and told me to find a way to gerrout, but first i have to go there and get registered first, from there i should go to gboko or makurdi to seek employment. i was fortunate (or unfortunate) to get the very last seat in the in the pretty cramped up coaster. for six hours, we went on what seemed to be a never ending journey. the most amusing part was the way people (including guys) were crying in the bus. even more amusing was when we detoured from the tarred road to a dusty bumpy road, the poeple around me started raining curses on those that posted us to such a gawd awful place. i just sat still, trying grasp the reality of my life. then i started looking at the pix i took in camp. when people statred swearin and cursin, i couldnt hold back my laughter, i started laughing uncontrollably, they were probly wonderin, whats with her. but unnnown to them, it was all i could do not to cry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
we arrived at agatu lg around 10pm after a tiring 6hr bus ride, i was so tired all i could think of was bath and sleep, the local govt inspector (L.I), a very talkative fellow (talked through most of the trip, making it even more exhausting ) told us what we were expected to do for the upteenth time, after that we were given food, jollof rice but i was too tired and depressed to eat. i had a quick shower and we were taken to where we were going to spend the night, a very beautiful bungalow from the exterior, but on entering we discovered that there was not a stick of furniture in the bedroom, only a dusty rug and we were supposed to sleep on that  . at that moment, i was too tired to care and i slept almost immediately. i woke around 4 in the mornin with dust in my mouth, the girls around me snored heavily so i couldnt go back to sleep even if i wanted to chei i don suffa. |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
memories of my 3 day ordeal in agatu village are ones i will hold dear for the rest of my life. d guy told me that a butty lagos gal lyk me wil not b able to cope in such an environment. actually, the people are nice but the hood is darn nasty wit so much dust its a wonder dat i didnt contract dust allergies. the only source was from a nearby stream and to top it up, the entire area has never had one day of electricity and gsm network.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i'm chilin in makurdi rite now. still a bit disappointed mt fome cant browse here. one of those things
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
its been almost a month since i last posted. i'ts been a mixture of both sewwt and sour experiences since i got here. i just thank God that i'm settling down fine here and i'm getting familiar with the land everyday. io'll have to get used to being without the comfort of home though. after surviving Agatu, i'n certain that wont be a big deal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
its been 1 month and 16 days since i posted last and hence browsed, never thougtht i could stay so long without browsing,. rihgt nopw im in a crappy cyber with such atingly slow server that i dont know if ill ever browse as long as i remain in this state.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
when i heard that i was posted to benue, i didnt know what to expect but people told me how lucky i was cos its the "food basket of the nation", nothing really prepared me for the level of poverty and underdevelopment when i got here. most of this camn be blamed on the mindset of its people. most of them are just comfortable with their current status and not willing to improve it. they seem to celebrate their poverty and do next to nothing to alleviate it. i just hope i don get that kind of mindset before i lleave this place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
been in abuja for a while now, but was disappointed when i found out that the wireless connection has been faulty for a while , so all my hopes of hitting the 1000 post mark is just wishful thinking  . i know i'l get there someday |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
meeeen this land is really dulling my spirit. now i do things i never ever imagined myself doing (like stepping out in public in bathroom slippers,living in a room with all sorts of things crawling around).anyways, its all part of the learning experience i wanted when i decided not to work my posting. cant wait to leave.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
One thing about humans is how we manage to survive under circumstances we couldnt have imagined surviving. one good thing about stepping out of your comfort zone is that you know how resilient you can be. since i got here , i've been able to cope with so many adversities at times i used to wonder how manage i copped (I'm even begining to get used to my 4 and 8 legged roomates). i.ve learnt a new kind of patience and understanding of stuff and most ipmortantly to a certain extent, how to deal with kids (yeah i'm in a school). though i'm literally counting the days before i leave this place, i cant help but be glad that i came here in the first place. so if you feel you are in a situation you cant deal with
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
the heat we are experiencing here in otukpo is damn depressing, disturbing, demoralising. at times it gets so hot, you'll almost think you're being punished for your sins. i've never been to the far north but i don't believe it can be that hot. my sister serving in kano says its not so hot. now i drink water like a camel and try as much as possible to stay indoors. weekends are another kinnd of nightmare here, boring as hell. but thank God for my CD and MCAN commitments, i would have been rotting away in this zero opportunity hell hole.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
i've been online for close to two hours now without gaining much DAMN SERVER. dont know how much more i can take. off to jumat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
did i mention how boring this place is getting?. the heat is making it worse coupled with the constant blackouts from power holders. cant wait to get in with my life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
right now spirit is really low, the only bright spark in my stay here was the fact that i wil be spending the festivals with my family, now that has been shattered by the idiot NYSC officials here, now i'm stuck here for another 2 weeks or more. i feel like raining curses on these monkeys but thats just not me. i hate the way we muslims are being sidelined by these assholes. imagine opening batch b camp during fasting period, now they are delaying our clearance by another 2 weeks cos of batch c.
|
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
just cant bring my self to post here like before its been what. . . 6, 7 months since i posted here last and i'm not even inspired to write anything. i have to commend otoks for his consistency though. . .why cant i be more committed like that |
|
|
|
|
|
dominique (f)
|
dont know what made me peep into this section, now i'm a bit more compelled to write something. . . watch this space
|
|
|
|
|
|
![Nairaland [Nigerian Forum] Home](http://www.nairaland.com/Themes/default/images/english/home.gif)
Author
