Survival Tips For NYSC Camp

Hello All,

I will be going for the mandatory one year service come March 2007. Well, the year starts with a 3-week boot camp.

Please I would like to know how to survive this period as I have heard a lot about camp and I really dread it.

Any tips on survival would be welcome, things to take along, things not to take along, people to avoid etc

Past, Present Corpers are welcome to comment. 

Corper shun!!!

PS - I don't know where I am going yet but am hoping for the best!

As for the 3 chances per year, that is true 'cause I have a friend who can't make it for the March batch and is contemplating on going with the June or September batch.

@Dreamy, I've never done that so I can't tell the experiences

don't pack too much baggages ( just your sleepin cloths will do and a few change overs in case u need to go to town.)
u may decide to go with extra white t-shirts and shorts (optional) because u'll be kitted
Go with your toiletries or money to buy them there.
Most camps usually sell buckets so u may buy them there too.

On the first day be prepared to carry your load on your head and do frog jump but just take it lightly because if u try to argue with the soldiers they'll get infuriated and purnish u more.
mornin call is bet 5am&6am, u'll get used to it before the end of 1st week.
some how by the end of the 2nd week all the soldiers gra gra would hav cooled down so u'll get along some how.
its fun because u'll get too meet loads of people and some people u knew before maybe in sec or pry sch, if u are a girl u might get invovled in Volleyball and a guy with football games that way u'll let off the steam of all the matching hurdles.

This is just a summary of how I managed mine n i guess had no stress  at the end of the day.

Hi guys!
all i can say about NYSC camp is (Now.Your.Suffering.Continues) , just kidding though but there's alot of truth in that statement.
respect the soldiers(platoon commanders & all that) 1 advice
be prepared 4 a crazy,hectic registration process,
i must warn u the food ain't perfect though, so bring a couple of provs
be ready 2 jog every morning
look forward 2 endurance trek & the welcoming party
as well as burn-fire night,
take enough white t-shrts with u as well as cool white shorts(combat)
a waist bag 4 your money(u need enough money),phone & stufffs,torch-light as well
also look out 4 mammy market(the fun zone)
be prepared 2 frog jump for no reason at times
snapp enough pix 4 shizzle
make good frnds & connections
pray 4 a good state & a good orientation camp as well
most importantly be prayerful, vigilant & the rest is history,
i can assure u when u leave camp u would want 2 go back because the memories r fun.
best wishes &
sorry this is sooo long but it brought back good old memories so i was glad 2 be of help
cheers!!!!

Here's the best advice you can ever get!!!
Go with loads of money because with it, you can solve all problems, from registration to dodging to feeding and all that!!!
good luck!!!

oh man!! na wa o!!, the mattter big o

Loads of money depends on you.
You might need to adjust your khaki (mine was three sizes bigger  )
You'll also need to buy food twice or even three times a day, if your stomach is really sensitive. I served in Gombe and I had to eat in mammy twice daily (mammy food aint the best, just better than camp food).
You'll need to buy bucket in mammy.
Go with your camera.
Waist bag is a must.
Go with some provisions.
Make friends with the camp soldiers,they are useful.
If you serve in the North,local gvt.secretariat is a good place to do your primary assignment(they'll pay you for doing nothing and you can travel anytime,if you have a good CLO).
Good luck!!!

Just go there and enjoy yourself. Dont come with any notions or else You will be highly disappointed. Come prepared for the worse and I assure You that You will enjoy yourself. The food is definitely not what You will be used to but hey it is just for 3 weeks. As for the soldiers, well i guess it depends on the state the soldiers came from. I served in Ondo State and the soldiers in our camp were very friendly. They made sure we kept the rules but that was it.No unnecessary wahala from them. Be open to meet people from other culture and religion.Once the initial suscipicion wears away You will find out that there is no big difference  amongst the difference tribes. We all enjoyed the same jokes, played the same games and pranks and even chased the same babes
Anyway, we so much enjoyed ourselves that when we were leaving for our places of primary assignment there were tears in 80% of the corp members.

i don't even feel like goin for camp isnt there any way of dodging it

Yes i was. Did you also serve in Gombe??

2002. I served in Deba local gvt.secretariat but I visited most local gvts.Where do/did you live in Gombe?

@Genial, did you serve in Gombe?

Man, no be lie u no go wan comot camp on the last day if u are prepared to enjoy yourself.
Its not like its the bomb but it occurs only once in one's lifetime.
There are free chics,
sometimes free booze, (like in Lagos and environment)
sometimes good food too,
and then don't forget there is a life after camp.
Just do the right thing, don't get into trouble.
You going to pass it on to others

if u be guy,sorry not to much advice except get there a day before camp,lodge in a "cheap" motel and hurry to camp early nxt day for your registraation number.Mahe friends with as much nysc officials as you can and make them remember u,buy them things as well but don't over do it.this is the first step in getting them to work your posting to town.
if u be babe, i get 2 advice for you:
1. if you're vry fine,contest for miss camp.most contestants are posted to town.if u no fine,sorry o!
2. if u have 2 ears,DON'T DATE ANY OF THOSE SILLY UGLY BRUTISH SOLDIERS.THEY ARE THE LOWEST OF SCUMS AND PLS PLS PLS,DON'T FALL FOR THE CAMP COMMANDANT!
good luck and no bring disease home.

Are you a foreign student? Or you really are hoping for the best possible posting? I was posted to Lagos & I had a blast in camp,  but i in hindsight can admit that I mght have been what they called "ghost corper" LoL i wasn't in the kit completely- ever. Chilled in mammy market, guiness stand, and went off camp for for food all the time, clubbing on weekends. I don't think i ever made it to that parade ground before 7am. Haha

But i know people in the same camp whose experience was the total opposite.
I know i had a good outlook about the whole 3 weeks,  i kept in mind that the (terrible) conditions etc werent created specially to torment me and that we were all going through it so i just dealt the best i could,

It helped that the matron/security got decamped after pulling a girl down the stairs. 2005, Batch B Lagos camp was madd!! Rechargable will be necessary, Loads of white tees, white shorts (money, as much as you can afford to bring) everything is avaliable at a 400% markup! (10 naira to tipex one line or staple - i felt cheated so once or twice i would tipex/staple then hold out a 1000 note.  Needless to say, he didnt have change!!) Camp costs!- from getting your uniform (which will not fit) resized to paying 100 bucks each time you want to use the bathroom!!! Get there early but be prepared to wait in queues forEVER! I realized on the second day that even if im th elast, i'll still get registered so i just chilled, met and gisted with people and eventually everything got done (Plus noone questions why you are in muffty for like a week until all were registered)

The people made the time pass very fast. Some of the best people i know now, i met in camp! But beware also of that whole secondary school he-said/she-said bull$h!t,  You'd think people would have grown up by service year,

Anywho, just keep an open mind, and you should have a good time.
The camp is fun compared to the year after, the Local govt visits, CD, Work, etc all sooo stressful, so again, i urge you to enjoy the 3 weeks because after that, it's no joke!

Yes o! am going for camp and I have a good job already. Please tell me how I can manage my job and the service year together

Hello, congrats on your youth service. Am presently serving in Lagos(Bath B 2006) and i can assure you its the best state to serve in the whole of Nigeria. Camp is so interesting and of course no rigorous exercises because its lagos, the camp is so small and there were so many people. The most stressful part was the registration because of the number of people but after that it was fun all the way. Most definitely you wake up at 5.30, but all you do is go to the parade ground and dance to a few man o war songs, most people got fatter on camp.And majority of corp members were coming from home especially the foreign ones. Then the fun at camp was the bomb, I remember guinness stand every night and all the artists that came to entertain us;Azadus, Genie, klint the drunk etc. It was a party for us every night. Our endurance trek was so short that we were begging for more, i went home about three times during camp and ofcourse its a nice place to look for a partner in case you are looking for one.But my advise is that you are loaded with a lot of money especially as a guy, don't try dining food because the day i ate it i used the toilet for 2 days so always eat from the mammy market, get ready to pay for everything including charging your phone, using a stapler or tipex and so on. Then i can assure you any work would be ready to do all the work for you so u don't have to lift a finger,but get your money ready.Take baffs because they would come in handy esp at variety night and camp fire night. Dont pack too much load and take your slang bag because it would be your life on camp thats were u will keep your money, phones, keys and other impt stuffs. I assure you u will have fun and towards the end you wont feel like living, I still get to miss camp once in a while. No matter where you are posted to, the most important of all is that you make good connections on camp so you can be posted to a good place and then you can enjoy the whole of the service year. All the best.