₦airaland Forum

How NYSC changed my view of the North
by Nnaemeka Anyiam, July 04, 2013 at 12:00 am in Campus Life FacebookTwitterSMSWhatsApp

“If Nigeria is to make rapid progress on all fronts internally, and if she’s to make her mark on the continent of Africa, and, indeed, in the comity of nations, her youths must be fully mobilised and be prepared to offer willingly and without asking for rewards in return, their best in the service of their nation at all times,” Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, said during the inauguration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on June 4, 1973.

Prior to being mobilised for the National Youth Service, I used to think of horrific experiences I would go through during my service year. Fresh from the furnace, which higher institution campuses can be called, a graduate is made to live with yet another people from different cultural backgrounds with a meagre stipend and no accommodation.

I got the impression that the scheme was a post-civil war panacea for reuniting the country. Well, our leaders caused the civil war but why are they disturbing my life by asking me to heal the wound they had caused? So I thought. When I was younger, I really hoped that events and government in Nigeria would abolish this mandatory service before it got to my turn.

Today, however, I write this piece as a Corps member and a willing participant in a scheme I once wished should be abolished. And it is amazing that I discovered the beauty of the scheme just in my first few months of active service to my fatherland.

When I was posted to Zamfara State, it took me time to get over the trauma. After I got my call-up letter, I sat on a fence for hours, ruing what had befallen me. With growing insecurity in the North, I had thought I was going for a journey of no return. But was it funny? My colleagues, who got posted to relatively peaceful parts of the country, mocked me, as though it was all planned.
Some of them pitied me and said sweet words to douse my fear. The thought of redeployment came to mind. Friends asked me to feign incurable ailment just to get out of Zamfara State after the three-week orientation.
Hitherto, I had been told the story of Zamfara and its strict Sharia Legal system during the administration of Governor Ahmad Yerima. We heard stories of amputation as punishment for even mild offences. Since I could not change the posting immediately, I left for the state with open mind. It was when I got to the state that I knew all the stories we heard in the South were actually exaggerated.

In the orientation camp, dance and drama competitions held for Corps members brought together people of various tribes of the country to foster unity. I heard languages I never thought existed; names I could never pronounce. We discussed issues ranging from insecurity and corruption and it was surprising to see my fellow Corps members condemning evil. Our daily activities in the camp always started with a Muslim and Christian prayer and this shows that we are one people indivisible by religion or ethnicity.
We were privileged to have top government officials, including the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, and the NYSC State Co-ordinator, Mrs Ruth Bakka, to educate us on the state and its people. The Emir stated clearly that Sharia was to guide Muslims on their religious path and thus was not binding on non-Muslims. He said Christians are free to go about their normal business without fear of molestation whatsoever but should dress decently and respect the law of the land.

In Southern part, we have different opinion of the North. We were told that places such as Zamfara State belong to Siberia given its low level of education and its culture, which is believed to be brutish and ordinary.
We were told that Hausa girls don’t go to school. But I was stunned to see over 3,000 girls in a secondary school in Samaru struggling to get education. In camp, I met Muslim girls, who graduated with better grades than many of us from the South. They all wore Hijabs (veil), which were neatly tucked in.

I also found that the average Hausa man is trustworthy and down-to-earth. When he tells you it is N10 gaskiya (truth), so it is. Tell a motorcyclist that you are stranded and he will be glad to help you to where you are going.
At the place of my primary assignment (PPA), senior officials would make tea in a cold morning and share among the staff; even the gatemen would use cups from the Oga’s office. But Ogas in the south are to be feared from afar. One’s effort to learn Hausa language is instantly rewarded with slashed prices of commodities.
When I was posted to my PPA in Kaura Namoda and I lost my way, I was directed to the lodge of Muslim Corps members, where I was fed and attended to regardless of my religious affiliation. This selfless service to has constantly been rendered by the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN), Catholic Corpers Association and the likes. These organisations are made up of Nigerians helping Nigerians regardless of tribe or tongue. This is one of the dividends of the NYSC scheme.

I am now confident that the scheme is steadily achieving its objective, which is “to inculcate in Nigerian youths the spirit of selfless service to the community and to emphasise the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background.”

Serving in Zamfara State has afforded me a lot of opportunities I would not have had if I remained in my Eastern zone. At least, I have experienced Zamfara for myself and can now separate fact from fiction. The state is peaceful and friendly. You are appreciated as a Corps member.

The state even has good amusement park when my Imo State cannot boast of one. I have seen their religious practices and I can now compare with mine. I have seen their flaws and I now know how I can help. I have understood that you don’t judge people or any entity from afar; you must come closer, live amongst them and you will be amazed at how much you did not know.
More importantly, I have seen that we are all the same people and can exist as one; you as a Christian and I as a Muslim, life will still go on. Our cultural and religious differences are simply variety, which we all know are spices of life. There is really no need for the hate anyone because of his tongue, background or faith.

Nnaemeka is a Corps member, NYSC GUSAU
http://thenationonlineng.net/how-nysc-changed-my-view-of-the-north/

kwynette:
No wahala since they told you so, I think that is the reason for the delay

I guess so too

nairagossip:
So when will UNN list be uploaded online plz?

I don't know sir/ma but someone told me it will linger til Next week Monday.

.

ben1daEbiri:
Skew your LNB to 8 O'clock before blindscanning if not,It still won't pop out!

Please sir that is what my cable installer also said, if i understand that term "skew" you mean i should just turn my lnb to 8 O'clock direction, I don't need to loose anything ba?

kwynette:
I went to Nsk on Tuesday, I noticed they pasted the correction list so I don't know about another list. Was your name omitted?

Yes dear, not only me, more than 15 of us but my friends have reported to the student affairs and they were told that they will still mop up the list before uploading it on Nysc, that they should not worry.

@kwynete, please can you confirm for me from your side if Unn Dsa will still release an additional new list to the ones pasted weeks back, my friend that went to confirm was told that certainly there will be an additional new list to cover those that were omitted in the last one, possibly that might be the reason for their delay.

sunene1:
input 12525 v 30000 or blind scan ur decoder for the rest TPs to jump out by fire.

Thank you Mr sunene1.

Friends see me see wahala o, my trust tv and max tv are showing while the rest of joy prime, tv3, core tv and Co are showing no or bad signal and this have stayed like this for some days. Hmmmmmm

Please can someone please add me to any fta whatsapp group, here's my number 08035963188, thanks.

I no know wetin i do this Unn, i no go kill myself for una.

abohwun:
the card is ok, track 16e and update your card that,s all.

Okay, thanks.

kapable75:
Hian!! somebori should help me with that "can you imagine" picture

Imagine what?

abohwun:
which sign do want that pass that card initiation go ahead and do the pairing but it can only be done when you are on any mytv channel.

Sir please i don't get you.

abohwun:
which sign do want that pass that card initiation go ahead and do the pairing but it can only be done when you are on any mytv channel.

Sir please i didn't get you.

Posimii:
Heeey,I was only joking. Sorry if dat hurt u anyway!

Dear, there is no problem, i just liked yours too.

ify4king:
If I understand u very well u mean if u insert d smart card it will show card initializing and then d write up goes off, if this is wat u mean then ur decoder is perfect, jst pair, track 16e and enjoy our local channels for free, thank u!

Alright sir, thank you.

Posimii:
Na everything pple dey like and share for gl. Person still click like say dem call me 'pessimist' yhmmmm nawo. I for just break d person to two if I kno am

Hey! I did the liking, do you have problem with that?

Ify4king, please after reading your comments about the mytv ftv card, i bought one from my friend that is no longer using his and i went to mytv website to pair it but what i don't understand is when i slot it into my 4922, it will only show card initializing and then it will pops out, though am not on 16E yet but i thought it should show me some signs that it recognizes my decoder, the dude i bought it from used mpeg2 then and never subscribed outside the free 1 month ftv on new purchase that he used. is it normal, what should I do sir?

Lol, na so d writer wan loose Im job.

My galaxy note adventures will finally end with galaxy note 5.

Nawa, if i talk my own, they will rusticate me like Unilag d do.

Nawa

Let me not say anything, "everyone to his/her own beliefs".

Crazy to you but not to them, is fun.

Hmmmm

Oh that? Is good for women to be educated but they should please stop those gender equality rubbish activism, wise ones amongst them will never subscribe to that crap.

If this no enter front page, ma I know wetin cause am

kingsaha:
Move your dish to 7 east or 7 west it have good channels You can also try 16 East if you don't have it yet

ok sir, thanks

krasican:
try changing d position of ur lnb from h to v i.e from 9 o clock to 6 o clock den if ur max tv is is v change to h nd if ur core tv is h change to v just like dat for d odas .dats what i did nd all of dem are stable including gtv sports plus.or better still u can still check ur diseqc if its okay

I will try that sir, thanks