All you heard about the NYSC orientation camp is probably true, from
carrying your box on your head to sitting with your butt on the bare
floor while still having your box(es) on your head. To the almost
unbearably stressful first 4 days of long queues and stressful
registration to the compulsory swearing in parade that you wouldn’t
escape except you are a nursing mother or a pregnant lady. To
waking up as early as 4:30am for Man O’ war drill and parade
rehearsal, having just gone to bed at 1am, God help you if you are the
gisting type. That’s if you won’t wake up by 3am to join the queues in
order to get water to bath, unless you’ll start your day without having
your bath. Mind you, your day starts at 4:30am, and the soldiers will
ensure you get out of your room with the annoying beagle (I miss that
bdw) and splashing water at those trying to catch extra sleep.
After the registration exercise is over, you should begin to the
experience the fun at the camp already. Although there’ll be extremely
boring facilitating sessions, except you are in lag or some other
“alive” place where real motivating speakers will be invited to impact
something meaningful apart from the other “there’s no job in Nigeria,
come and take a certification in our company to make you
employable at a discounted price thanks to NYSC” gist and other
NYSC gists, this is where going to camp with a book or a music
device stocked with meaningful contents will come in handy. Note, I
mentioned Music device, most likely a ‘palasa’ phone or any other
device that will fit in your waist pouch conveniently. You can take
your iPad along with you though, if you don’t mind loosing it. My iPod
touch was stolen even with me being all careful just two days to the
end of camp.
Let me just highlight some things here.
1. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN CAMP STAYS IN CAMP
I am not sure how true this slogan is. It might be true for Vegas and
NYSC if you redeploy from the state after the camping exercise or
when every other probability of meeting whoever they are that were
involved in one thing or the other with you while in camp is totally
severed. But you’ll all agree with me that this world has gotten really
small, sooner or later you’ll still meet up somewhere, so be mindful of
all you do on camp, it never ends at the gate.
2. RELIGIOSITY
The NYSC orientation camp is a no man’s land. It’s not like Covenant
Uni where you will be chased out to chapel service or any averagely
religious institution (Muslim inclusive). So you can as well drop all
your religious inclination at the gate.
There are various Christian Fellowships on camp, (NCCF – Nigeria
Christian Corpers Fellowship, DCCF (Deeper life), NACC (Catholic),
RCCF (Redeem)… The surest you’ll see is NCCF and DCCF and NACC
but didn’t have the others in camp during my time. All these
fellowship bodies hold fellowship meetings daily in camp from the
very first day and therefore, I urge you to be a part of one. I became a
member of the NCCF having heard so much about it (wasn’t
disappointed though and it’s not really denominational), as being part
of one of the organizations will help clear your head from the craze
all over camp and bring u back on track and as well help prepare you
for the rest of the service year.
3. RELATIONSHIP
Before you expect too much from this session, relationship includes
both friendship and other forms of connecting.
Take this from me; the kind of company you keep on camp dictates
your camp experience, boring, fun, immoral or otherwise.
I mostly hung around people who were my Uni mates even though we
didn’t really know one another back in school, still we had a great
time together.
Although, a couple of limitations will be placed at your liberty of who
to be with due to being put in different platoons and different rooms,
as you might not always see those on camp you knew prior to the
exercise. You’ll spend more time with your platoon members. Also,
camp is just for 21 days, so no time for 21 Laws of making highly
effective friends, just saying.
I met wonderful people during my own camping experience who have
made indelible marks in my life, one is Miss Pelumi, though we went
to same uni, we hardly ever said 5 good mornings in our 5 years of
being in the same department. She inspired a great deal on my blog,
the creator of the “ DAMAGED ” series, she also wrote the first episode,
thats just to mention one out of the so many, Donald, Yinka, AY, Seyi,
Fola, Jibola, Bunmi, Dayo, Ayomide, Tinuke…
Make more connections on camp, meet new people and build viable
relationships with them, you don’t know where next you’ll meet them
or of what importance they can be to you sometime in the future, and
who knows, your soul mate might just be on camp, but don’t be
fooled. (You’ll definitely want to read NYSC CAMP GIST: I HAD A
DREAM OF US. An experience I had in camp to all relationship
desperate ladies.)
I must add, to the ladies that want to avoid “boy pressure”, better stay
in the company of your girl friends or better still have “an handbag”,
by that I mean a guy friend who those guy see and be like a scare
crow
4. CAMP ACTIVITIES
There’s no idle moment throughout your 21 days in camp, except
sunday morning till early sunday evening. But apart from that, there is
one activity, event, seminar or the other all through camp. Most of
which are fun after the swearing exercise.
Platoon sport tournaments (soccer and volley ball, no basket ball on
my camp), pageantry (Miss NYSC, Mr Macho, Mr Dubic, Miss
Smirnoff, Miss Guiness, had a lot I lost track of on my camp), inter-
platoon drama, music, dancing, cooking…competitions.
Please try and be involved in at least one thing before camp is over,
for most people I interacted with, even though having almost wanting
to bail out the first week of camp cos of stress, wished camp was
extended beyond 21 days as it got really fun towards the end, but
camp will be extremely boring with no memory to hold on to if you
don’t get involve, if you don’t mix up. But in all, don’t overdo and be
wise.
5. EAR PLUG
This was suppose to be the third in the series of the post I wrote after
my camping exercise.
Camp is noisy! By noisy, I don’t mean people screaming up and down
but saturated with too many, too many gossip in the room, too many
dirty talks among friends, OBS (Orientation Broadcasting Service)
unending music broadcast, most of which I wasn’t content with.
NB: To all my “non-secular” music folks, I promise you that you’ll
know all the latest Naija hits almost word for word before camp is
over. Gospel songs are only for Sunday mornings, and yes mornings,
cos by 12 noon, OBS resume secular playlist unending till next
sunday. Thus the need for an ear plug, my ipod and ear piece were
my best friends on camp, always having them on, except during
parade rehearsals, but still I knew all them Wizzy and OBO hits, quite
entertaining I must confess. Anyways, arguing their rightness or
wrongness is not the purpose of this post.
Go with an earpiece, go with a book or two, go with a note pad for my
fellow writers and bloggers (you’ll see a lot you’ll want to capture in
ink).
6. MAMMI MARKET
This is an integral part of camp, this is where all the buying and
selling happens, this is also where most action happens, apart from
few at some dark isolated corners.
What can I say about Mammi?
For those that don’t like food cooked en mass, mammi will be waiting
to feast on your wallet. You’ll get the commonest, Noodles and fried
egg, but you will find every possible delicacy you want, as I had
“Mama Calabar in my Oyo camp”, so no worry about chow, as there
are spots for all classes of people there, from common 250 Naira a
plate, to expensive dishes, but u can still go with light provisions.
If you don’t eat/drink something before going to camp, don’t out of
trying avoid being termed “old-school” or whatever do “follow follow”.
A lot of drama at my camp’s Palmwine’s joint, talkless of bars.
Anyways enough said.
General advice from my friends:
• Stay true to who you are. A lot go to camp and become somebody
else, a guy went mad ( o ya were in yoruba) in my camp for smoking
weed for the first time. Enough getting drunk, had that every night in
my room. Camp fire night is the height.
• Yeah, no ATM machine on most camps, but I got an NCCF executive
to help with my cash withdrawals as they can be trusted. It’s not
adviceable to keep a lot of cash. And when you are given your first
allowance towards the end of camp, keep it well.
• Camping is a three weeks exercise which practically is like a waste
of time but to those who know the value of their time, it can be well
invested. Then there are a lot of distractions right there in the camp
so be careful about how they affect you. Joining NCCF as soon as one
gets to camp is important as that’s the only place with guaranteed
opportunity to fellowship with the brethren everyday. Keeping of
properties properly is part of it as you don’t know where others are
coming from, they are not all saints. For those who have very
expensive gadgets, they should be left behind at home. The camp is
not a place to show off as one will be putting the gadgets at risk. I’m
sure Mr. Tolu has said it all. – Bello Akinwunmi (@_Don_Ak)
• Don’t be in a hurry to make buying decisions or to sign up for
anything. There’s really nothing that ends on the camp including the
‘fun’ that seems to present itself like sudden fresh air. It’s just an
initial reminder that undergrad life is over but that fact too will remain
for the rest of your life.
If you’re serving in a State you’re unfamiliar with, don’t bother trying
to influence your posting. You’ll be surprised where wld turn out good
for you. The State capital is not even always the best local
government
Err.. also, you know how final year seemed to fly past? Service year is
shorter than that. Let that thought guide you in choosing what your
time goes into. – Miss Tolulope Kumuy (@tolukumuyi)
In conclusion, more like a reminder, roll with the right company, don’t
overform, try to enjoy camp, Be yourself, meet people and lastly have
fun. Its a once in a life experience

nice thanks for d heads up

Just what I needed...
Op..u do well oh!

really educative...op thanks

waoo, I really enjoy this , mine is soon batch A 2015, I can't wait to be there ,d first thing to is to join NAAC (Catholic) . just praying for God to see me through the year of service and grant me a good work after it...thanks bro for the pre-orientation.

Very short and precise

Thanks guys, I think that I have gotten all I need for my batch A pre-camp orientation but for a few tips on what to move to camp with, I'll want you guys to do a brief write up on that too. thanks once more guys.

hmmmMm