Between a corps member and camp experience

From the preparation at home or school, potential members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) always have stories to tell. At various stages of the preparation, various questions are usually asked. Some get the appropriate answers while some don’t. At various motor parks or airports, you would hear questions about the direction of orientation […]

From the preparation at home or school, potential members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) always have stories to tell. At various stages of the preparation, various questions are usually asked. Some get the appropriate answers while some don’t. At various motor parks or airports, you would hear questions about the direction of orientation camps across the country.
It is either you report to camp early, register and get your kits without much hassle and start training before others, or you arrive late and face the difficulty of registration and collection of kits. Getting oversized kits is another case in the camps. Trust tailors; they make brisk business during this period.   
At the orientation camp, one’s lifestyle is practically forced to change. Corps members are made to wake up at 4:00am every morning. And the military beagle, which is used to wake members up, can be quite annoying, to put it mildly. At the sound of the beagle, every corps member is expected to wake up and run to the field. 
The soldiers on duty at various camps don’t help matters either. Most times, they are not friendly at all. They want to make you feel as if you were in a military training ground of sorts. They can actually embarrass you if you do not behave yourself. And you are subjected to such experience for three weeks.
The kitchen and dining hall present another picture. The breakfast, lunch and dinner offer unique experiences. Some people see such experiences as part of the fun at the camp while others avoid them, opting to eat at the canteens. Camp meals aren’t that bad if truly the federal government is spending N1500 to feed a corps member daily. 
At times the lectures after the breakfast can be very boring. Some of them can last for about three hours. In some camps, the halls can’t accommodate half of the corps members; hence they are subjected to suffering. Majority of them are forced to stand under the sun as no one is allowed to stay away from the lectures. The soldiers will punish you severely if you are caught avoiding the lecture. 
There are skills acquisition and training schemes and a lot of other programmes.
After the lectures you can take your bath, have your lunch and take a little rest. By 4:00pm you are at the parade ground again. During the first few days, it’s all about parade. Football and other sports are also played for recreation. During this period you are allowed to have fun.
Funny enough, there is no electricity in some camps. And that makes life quite boring. In such camps, people make a lot of money through charging phone batteries.
At night, after the dinner you have at least till 10pm before the light-out. During this period, you are allowed to enjoy yourself at the Mami Market. Here, you can drink or eat responsibly because there are rules guiding the camp. By 10:00pm the beagle ushers you to your bed.
The truth is that, as days go by, corps members get used to the life in the camp. Friends are made and relationships cultivated such that, at the end of the three weeks, a lot of people are reluctant to lose their friends and acquaintances. But they must report to their various places of primary assignment. 
Also, there is the redeployment madness. I call it madness because some people, especially ladies, can do anything practicable to have their way. They either present marriage certificates within one week or feign pregnancy by whatever means possible. Unfortunately, the guys can only pretend to be sick.
Muhammad Malumfashi is a corps member in Kwara State