Kaduna NYSC orientation camp gradually recovering from dilapidation

The Kaduna NYSC orientation camp, also called Black Gold, with a capacity for over 2,000 corps members and 300 officials, is located at KM 16, Sabon-Gaya, Kaduna. The statue of a kitted female corps member saluting is mounted at the entrance thereby making it easy for travellers and passersby know that the site belongs to […]

The Kaduna NYSC orientation camp, also called Black Gold, with a capacity for over 2,000 corps members and 300 officials, is located at KM 16, Sabon-Gaya, Kaduna. The statue of a kitted female corps member saluting is mounted at the entrance thereby making it easy for travellers and passersby know that the site belongs to the NYSC.

Although the environment is quiet when there are no corps members, it bubbles each time an orientation exercise is going on. Also, because of the location of the camp along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, which has a record of insecurity in recent times, there is presence of security personnel at different points before the gate of the camp. At the gate there is another set of security personnel who check and ask questions. The security check is so tight that nobody can just gain access into the camp without providing information about who they want to see. In most cases, visitors are asked to call who they want to see on phone to meet them at the gate.

Although the camp may not be as comfortable as home; but with the ongoing renovation by the administration of Governor Nasir el-Rufai, its look is gradually changing.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai had last year decried lack of good facilities in the camp and promised to overhaul them to make the camp one of the best in the country. Fulfilling his promise, the governor, through the Ministry of Youths, Sports and Culture, has commenced renovation at the site. Presently, almost all blocks in the girls’ hostel have been renovated, drainage built to ensure free flow of water, while the registration/social/lecture hall has also been given a facelift. 

Camp official’s lodge and the boys’ hostels are yet to be renovated, but to a large extent; the camp is comfortable for living. 

Daily Trust on Saturday gathered that the renovation was delayed by periodic camp activities, but that work would continue as soon as the ongoing orientation exercise ended.

The girls’ hostel, made up of eight blocks, are all labelled after virtues: diligence, honesty, unity, peace, endurance, among others. The boys’ hostels are also labelled after such virtues while the officials’ blocks are named after past state coordinators. 

Our reporter who visited the camp observed availability of water as every dormitory had a reservoir. There are six toilets (water system) and six bathrooms in each block in the girls’ hostel with adequate water to keep them clean. Also, at the camp are well structured places of worship: mosques and a church. 

There is a big kitchen where corps members, according to platoons, help in cooking. During the unexpected visit, Daily Trust observed that the kitchen was neat while there was less use of fire wood but more of gas. 

The camp also has a clinic with a standby ambulance where the health. Experienced nurses from the state government and doctors from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital man the clinic. During the visit to the clinic, our reporter saw two corps members on admission while some others were being checked at the consulting room.

 Another fascinating feature of the camp is its garden nature with trees everywhere, which makes it beautiful, cool and calm. 

Daily Trust observed the drilling of a new borehole basically to serve the market people. There are also spaces where the Man-o-War gadgets are stationed, which is said to be the second largest in the country. There is also a studio for Orientation Broadcasting Service (OBS) and an ICT centre.  

One corps member said, “Before we came to Kaduna, we had fears because we heard that some camps were very dirty but we are very happy with what we have seen in Kaduna. Apart from being clean, it is comfortable. The camp is very okay for us, it’s just that the officials are too strict.”

“Before I came to camp, I planned to eat from the mammy market because I held the belief that the kitchen might not be clean enough to prepare the kind of food I would like, but the reverse was the case when I came. I saw that to a very large extent, the place is okay and even the toilet is moderately clean. I am highly impressed by the level of cleanliness considering the huge number of people on camp,” a corps member from Edo said.

The state Coordinator of the scheme, Alhaji Bello B. Ballama, commended Governor Nasir el-Rufai for the renovation, drainage and expansion of the registration/social/lecture hall.

“I am happy because the renovation work is continuous as it is being done in phases. I commend the workers for their patience because the renovation is interrupted by orientation exercise every now and then and they have been patient with us. For the male hostel, we have a very big block with so many cubicles that can contain more than 1,000 corps members. Behind it are two additional blocks also. So after this ongoing orientation exercise, renovation will move to the boys’ hostel,” he said. 

He, however, charged both corps members and officials on maintenance culture, advising them to endeavour to keep their surroundings clean at all times, as well as maintain the structure on ground. 

He said the Kaduna orientation camp since coming as state coordinator has been known for high level of discipline as sale of alcohol and cigarettes were highly forbidden, and that he believed that the environment should be serene for everyone on camp to live comfortably.