This blog post is dedicated to all 2012 Batch ‘C’ corps members who will commence their orientation course on the 6th of November and after.
In
the course of preparing to go for the three-week orientation programme, which is the first
phase of the National Youth Service Corps, would-be corps members are told all
sorts of stories and exaggerations that make them dread going to the
camp. However, my experience has proven otherwise.
In
my opinion, the three-week orientation camp is a place where graduates from
various reputable institutions all over Nigeria come together to achieve one goal;
service to our motherland and great country, Nigeria. The camp is run by diligent camp officials who ensure
that each moment in camp is scheduled for one activity or the other. These
activities instill basic skills and values in corps members that make them better
individuals when imbibed.
Parade: The parade ground also known as holy
ground, “holy” implying that when on it corps members are expected to respect
it by behaving appropriately. When on the
parade ground, we learn to be disciplined, by not engaging in unnecessary
discussions or causing distractions; to be on the alert and be attentive, by
performing the right body movement when the order is called for; to be
patriotic, by respecting the recitation of the NYSC anthem, the National anthem
and the hoisting of the National flag.
Drills and Man O’ War: They are simply exercise routines that help
us to keep fit, not chores, as most corps members see it. As we all know,
regular exercise is required for better body metabolism, for proper blood
circulation, and to keep the heart in good condition.
Sports and Social
activities: Sports
are another form of exercise and are pastimes for some individuals. In the camp,
we have football and volleyball; social activities such as cultural dance,
drama, singing, cooking, pageantry, etc. Corps members are given the
opportunities to showcase their talents on stage and are also allowed to anchor
shows. These activities are channels of talent discovery and we all have
talents which we need to discover and work on.
Lectures: We are all students because we learn every
day, either through our personal experience or from the experience of others,
from the media, from books or in the classroom. Lectures offered in camp which
are free from reputable organisations such as NDLEA, and from respectable
individuals. They also offer trainings in various courses like management,
computer training, foreign languages, and many others at subsidised fees. Is it not a golden opportunity one
must not miss?
In conclusion, the three-week orientation
camp is an opportunity waiting to be harnessed and a platform for self
discovery and development.
Would-be corps members would also come to us someday
to seek advice before travelling to their various camps and we should make it a
point of duty to tell them about the orientation camp in a different light.
I wrote this post when I was in the orientation camp in Iseyin, Oyo state as a 2010 Batch A corps member and it was published in our bimonthly magazine-Periscope.
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| My platoon commander and I (platoon 1 aka champion platoon) |
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| Miss NYSC 2010 and I |
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| cultural dance practice on Sunday |
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| Endurance catwalk |
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| chilling after a long endurance trek |
Thank you Kay for the pix!
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