I served in Oyo state in 2013, Batch B and below is my experience while in the camp..


It was the final match of the football competition. No
4 platoon were one goal down to no1 platoon and the match was about to end, and at the same time it was almost 6pm. Normally, once it is 6pm in NYSC camp, the biggle will sound, and all activities must halt; but would resume afterwards. But that
temporary pause in activities would kill the tempo
of the game and lessen the pressure with which no
4 platoon were attacking their opponents. As the
game continued, number 7 jersey for no 4 platoon made a good cross to no 11 jersey, who in turn controlled the ball perfectly and swiftly moved passed his marker, in preparation to launch a thunderous strike into the back of the net... Meanwhile, the biggler(a soldier) had already stood at attention, with the biggle already in his mouth, only for him to send mammoth breath into it to signal the sleeping time for the Giant of Africa. Just in that nick of time, no 11 jersey sent a strike goal-ward but it was parried by the goalkeeper. Then a defender for no 1 platoon tried to clear the ball away from danger zone, but he rang the bell..(gbagaun). This gave no 11 jersey for no 4 platoon another chance to try again. This time, he didn't miss, as he struck the ball past the helpless goalkeeper into the net. As
the crowd prepared to roar in jubilation, just then
the biggle sounded...... Everything paused: the
goal scorer, his fellow players that were about to jump on him for scoring, fans, the ref, even
the women at mammy market- everything that has
breath came to a standstill(except for some goats and chicken roaming around). After the last sound of the biggle, wild roar and crazy laughter ensued.


Before then were interesting activities like: singing
competition, dancing, cooking, debate, drama, comedy, mr macho competition and so on. I represented my platoon in the comedy competition. Of all the 10 platoons competing on camp, no10 platoon were the best from behind. Always 10/10 in every competition. 7 platoon were the overall best
platoon, with highest winnings in the competitions.
My platoon only won mr macho, came 2nd as miss NYSC, and I came 3rd in the comedy competition.


As for the food on camp, it was all crap! Except
Sundays that we get to eat jollof rice and tiny
chicken legs. On a very cold morning, when the
menu is hot but watery tea, hawkers of cold pure
water within the camp can be very funny and
annoying as they would still patronise us to buy very cold pure-water on a cold morning when the menu is watery tea. My question to them always is: shey dem dey take water drink water?


The soldiers who were also platoon instructors
were not too harsh, but affable and warm. They
were the ones that supported my platoon when my
platoon officer tried to pocket the money meant for
cooking competition. It was a drama that day,
as the soldiers helped to call the attention of the
camp inspector to the matter. The issue was: we
had over 100k in our purse on camp fire night to
participate in cooking competition, which was the
last competition on camp and our last night in the
NYSC camp. My platoon officer wanted us to
compete with only jollof rice, when other platoons wanted to cook varieties of delicious and saliver inducing meals. The idea was valiantly opposed by all my platoon mates. The obvious question was: what was she gonna do with the rest of our
jointly contributed money?(to pocket it i guess).


The camp platoon inspector supported that we
cook as many foods as our money can afford.
On the night preceding P.O.P, mammy market was
full to the brim. The son of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
made sure there were lots of drinks, as he too was also in the same camp and the babes danced like no tomorrow.