Corper Wee!

Tofunmi is a corper currently serving in the Nigeria Youth Service Corps popularly known as NYSC. She currently serves in Oshodi Local Government of Lagos State.

The team at SFN reached out to interview her on her experience so far being a corper. The chief question that we needed an answer for was; is NYSC still a working scheme in Nigeria?

On your first day at camp, what were you expecting and what did you actually meet?

I was not exactly enthusiastic about going to camp because of the many stories I had heard about the place.

I would say I was talked into going, so I went reluctantly.

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy per se, but I didn’t expect what I met there.

I thought it was going to be a thing of getting there, registering within a few hours and settling in.

But when the registration started, it moved fast and seemed like I was going to be done in an hour or two, but that was far from it, as I spent 12 hours for registration alone.

I didn’t eat anything before leaving home that morning and was expecting that before night, I was going to be settled enough to eat something, but I couldn’t even get anything because leaving the registration stand meant that my space was going to be taken, so I stayed on an empty stomach all day, and we weren’t even fed until the next day.

I started registration around 10am and I think I finished around 9pm.

That gave me a scare on what I was to expect.

What’s been the most frustrating part of NYSC for you so far?

I think the time I was the most frustrated was during the 3 weeks camp.

I mean, it was a fun experience, but having to live on about 3 hours sleep everyday, with the sound of the bugle that made my head want to explode was a lot frustrating and vexing.

Asides that, it has not been the worst experience. Both my local government and PPA don’t stress me as much as people say they get stressed.

Has there been a moment that made you feel proud to be serving?

Is there a moment? I’m not sure.

I don’t like serving, but I don’t hate it too, I’m just living the experience while it lasts.

Maybe the uniform makes me feel important on some days, because of the stares and the “Corper” shouts random people make on the road.

But feeling proud? No.

If you could redesign NYSC from scratch, what would you change first?

If I could change one thing, it would be letting people choose where they want to serve.

No one should have to go to a place they don’t want to be in because they want to serve their father’s land.

One sentence: Is NYSC still working for young Nigerians; yes, no, or maybe?

YES.

I used to have the mindset that NYSC should be scrapped and that it was not necessary, but I’ve seen it pave way for people’s career paths, that’s for those that get lucky.

Maybe not so much for me, but some people get posted to places they find their paths and get retained too.

It’s a big deal to me, if you ask.

I currently serve at the PPA I was posted to, and though I don’t plan on remaining there after I’m done, it’s one I would have loved to stay in if it was in line with what I want out of life. It is a good environment that allows growth too.

I’ve seen some of my friends and other people thrive now in their career paths because of the PPA NYSC posted them to.

It might not be the same experience for everyone, but if it’s working for many people, it should not be scrapped.

How’s NYSC treating you so far? Any shockers or hilarious PPA gist?😁

My NYSC experience has been good so far, I’m not going to deny that.

Of course, there are days when I just tell myself I can’t wait to be done, but it’s not as bad as I thought.

My PPA is great too. The pay isn’t much, but my sanity is intact and that’s an important factor for me.

Something happened when I first reported at my PPA.

As soon as I got saw my PPA letter, I realized it wasn’t a place I wanted to be in. It was in fact, the place I was bent on not wanting to be in, so I was determined to tell whoever I met to reject me.

Luckily for me, as soon as I got there, the manager immediately told me she could not accept me and that she needed to reject me.

But there was this peace I saw her, I couldn’t explain it, and since I was determined to leave, nothing mattered.

I’m not sure how, but she forgot to give me a rejection letter from their organization, so I had to go back there after some days to get it.

As soon as I got in and asked for a rejection letter, her response was “I’ve been hoping you would come back. I forgot to give you a rejection letter but I’m glad I did. I’m not sure why I rejected you in the first place because I felt at peace when I saw you. I don’t want to give you a rejection letter anymore because I want you to stay. Can I try convincing you?”

She gave some reasons that made me think maybe staying wasn’t exactly the worst idea. The rest is history. I’m glad I stayed because I was going to resume at a place that was definitely going to mess with my mental health.

For my local government, it has been great too.

I hear stories about how tiring clearance and CDS can be, and it gave me a scare, but it has been good so far. It’s not as stressful as I thought it would be and we’re mostly organized too.

So yeah, NYSC has not been that bad for me.