Authomated teller machine card that is going on a long journey with its owner must sleep inside the shoe. I carefully slid my ATM card into my NYSC socks, under my left foot, inside my shoe. From Taraba to Akwa is not a short journey, it is not even a long journey, it is an abroad movement. From Taraba in Nigeria to my village also in Nigeria be like real abroad journey, it was like I was not only going overseas, I was going over bush, in short, over forest. Passing through those hilly, long and snaky roads big pass street fight, na battle. While coming, I had envisioned our bus somersaulting over 300 times, arriving at Saudana Local Government also called Mambilla plateau took us three whole days. I thought if I travel to America, I will be very cold but I am telling you, the cold that welcomed us in Mambilla can subdue any other kind of cold, I think it is nowhere else in this whole world. If you are rehearsing how to live abroad, you can go there for a trial. I am assuring you that you must have that abroad feeling. Surviving there in new food, skinny looking people, insecurity and all was the jungle itself. But I made it, my breathe of relief flew up to heaven as I looked up for the last time before entering the bus organised by our fellowship group. Fellowship group was what sustained most of us, do not ever avoid yourself from belonging to a Christian family. Their help is not only free, it is divine. The Christian corpers we met there provided us with coveralls, hoodies, sweaters, gloves, socks, food, immediately we got there. They were already waiting for our arrival in order to help us combat the stone-cold. My NYSC was a wild experience yet I thank God for all the souls won and the lives we touched while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the people.
As the bus moved, I imagined the road again and closed my eyes. I sat at the front passenger’s seat beside the driver, I was always in charge of many things so I sat like I was protecting the rest of my fellow ex-corpers that I have already known. All my savings from the one year was in my account that had the ATM inside my socks, a whooping sum of hundred thousand naira, I did not go there to joke, life after NYSC always waved at me. So I thought I was ready. 100k in my account plus God’s grace, I must hammer! We sang and chatted along, shouting Jesus, the blood of Jesus, Father Lord, when necessary. The bus went up and down till we arrived on flat road. But do you know what is wrong with Nigerian flat road? They are always bad, dilapidated, horrible, horrendous and evil. Blood-sucking bad roads of Nigeria. That was how I ..... https://egbechopublishers..com/2020/08/local-man-part-1.html