My Camping experience

A lot of us have gone through the faze where we must serve the mother land.

If you are a Nigerian, the abbreviation NYSC, isn’t new to us but for the sake of my international readers, NYSC stands for National Youth Service Corps. Nigerian graduates are ineligible to work in any organisation till they have done the mandatory service.

Some are happy about it and look forward to the experience, excitedly.
Others, not so much. They just want to get it over with.

I was part of those who just wanted to be done with all things NYSC during my service.

Waking up by 4:30am (yes, 4am) in the morning to the sound of the bugle ( a trumpet like instrument used to indicate a call for a routine activity) to go to the parade ground (if you don’t, you get to do frog jump ordered by the soldiers. But it’s advisable to wake earlier to clean up. You don’t want to go to the parade ground with an odour) for morning devotion, after which the drilling by the soldiers start.


Sometimes we go through Man O War drills whereby we jog round the camp and get to sing ridiculous, vulgar songs that add a bit of spice to your camp experience.


• Morale! High! Morale! High!

• Are you good to Go? Are you Motivated?

• Eee eee, eee eee, yawa go dey… eee eee eee eee yawa go dey, if alawee no dey yawa go dey, if alawee no dey yawa go dey!!!

• Jeje jeje we dey go oooo…. Jeje we dey go ooo jeje

• Carry one leg up, carry one leg down, if you want to suffer woman carry one leg up.


After all that is done, you have your breakfast and by 9am, you go for lectures better known as SAED (Skills Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Department) and it concludes by 2pm. This is the time some of us use to catch up on lost sleep. Some of the lectures are irrelevant, some do make sense (pay attention to those).


However, please watch out for the SAED development classes. They can really help you stand on your own during and even after the service year.

You also must experience the parade. During the parade you will meet people that are just totally crazy and funny. They use every opportunity to create a laugh. Also, you will meet people that are just totally confused, those that don’t know their right from their left, and those that march swinging the right hand and right leg at the same time. Mind you, they don’t do it intentionally. You’ll also meet people that are never in sync with everybody else, those that will be marching when the whole parade has halted/over with. It’s crazy.


some of the phrases you will hear are

• Praed!! Praed shun

and we all respond “PUNCH”. I have no idea if that was the correct word to respond with, but we didn’t care.

• Stand at ease

A close colleague of mine was posted to Imo state to serve his country. Before the call-up, it was a series of him being nervous and uninterested with other colleagues giving him words of encouragement. We also made sure to let him know that he needs to fight for his redeployment back to Lagos (where he works and lives in), since the unemployment rate in Nigeria is in shambles.

Today, while in camp for the mandatory three weeks training, he sent me a summary of his camping experience so far (which also prompted me to write my experience above) and he’s given me the permission to share it with my readers.

Camp Illusions

Noisy platoon with interesting characters.

Miniature communities in the camp government.

The hope of relocation for an old life but still basking in the adventurous weather.

The Maami of Markets comforting her clients in whites costing arms and legs.

The Military is your friend on this part but conforming the rules the order of the day.

The Underground deals for favours distinguish the social class.

The curves come in different sizes and shapes, avenue to meet new people and learn new cultures.

Lost seal to enjoy the moment underwhelmed by location, therefore neglecting the amazing personalities in the surrounding.

The camp illusions, the smiles, the salutes, the lectures, the new friends, the new connects, the new culture.

To all Corp members in camp right now or currently serving, just enjoy the experience.



Special Thanks to Kezi Ayoma (@Kezi_AY) for sharing your experience with me.