Tunmise Usikalu - Memoirs of a Lazy Korfa

Memoirs of a Lazy Korfa

Copyright 2020 by Tunmise Usikalu

Published by
Sophos Books Ltd.

2 Woodberry Grove
London
N12 0DR

www.publishwithsophos.com

DISCLAIMER

The views portrayed in this journal are entirely that of the author and represent her view of actual events as they happened. This is not a complete historical account of all that happened during the NYSC orientation camp in Ungogo, Kano in September of 2004. Many of the characters have been written based on real people and real events. This journal did not seek for nor receive any
endorsements from the National Youth Service Corps.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying or otherwise without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.

Cover illustration and design by Tolu Shofule

To the Sweet Memory of my Sister,

MRS IWALOLA F. EMMANUEL
(Nee Awojobi)
10th January 1974 - 27th November 2001

You were not just my sister; you were also my friend. You made me feel like I could achieve anything I ever wanted. I still miss you terribly.

Continue to rest in peace my Sweetheart Sister,
till we meet again.

A nd

To My Dad,

MR OLUYINKA A. AWOJOBI
9th April 1934 25th April 2007.
Even the littlest things made you proud.
This would have brought you much delight.

Acknowledgements

I cannot thank my family (the Awojobis & the Usikalus) and friends enough for all the love and support that have helped get this book out. There are not enough pages to name every single person so, as clichd as this is, Ill just say you know who you are, so Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you so very much!

Special thanks to the following people:

Theophilus Emmanuel, for giving me the final shove to keep a journal in camp since I like writing so much.

Sisanmi Oma-Wilkie, for handing over her brand new exercise books just in time.

Seyi Adebayo-Olubi, for the initial ground work you did when we first thought to publish what was just my journal.

Bolaji Sofoluwe, for the fantastic plan that opened doors.

Sola Osinoiki, for the introduction and divine connections.

Tolu Shofule of Imaginovation, for the lovely cover illustration.

Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, Nnamdi Osuagwu, Yinka Awojobi, Adebola Williams, Chude Jideonwo and everyone else who supported this project in any way, big or small.

Tokunbo Emmanuel of Sophos Books Ltd, for taking the vision and running with it.

The lifelong friends I made while in Kano, my fellow 2004 Batch B Corp Members, the NYSC officials, Soldiers, Man O War personnel and everyone else in camp without whom there would have been no journal.

My amazing husband and friend, Olumuyiwa, and our beautiful daughters; my world is so much better with you in it.

And to Jehovah, the One who gave everything to see me become great; I live for you now and always.

Foreword

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has always been a scalpel of some sort, severing young people from the comfort of familiar surroundings and pushing them towards the unknown. In 2005, I graduated from the Nigerian Law School in Bwari and was posted to Lagos state to do the mandatory one-year programme. I was scared and happy at the same time; always accepting of a new adventure, but wondering how I would survive in this enclave of which I had heard various tales, many exaggerated, all nonetheless scary. NYSC, in safe Lagos, as it were, did live up to the hype of a new experience.

So, Tunmises memories bring a smile to my face - running around for those early morning drills with waist pouches or mobile central banks as she calls them, with the cold stinging their backs; chanting those hilarious made-up-on-the-spot Man O' War songs that were the hallmark of spontaneity and raw ingenuity; evading soldiers and scampering away as they flung their whips with reckless abandon, happy to unleash them after seasons of little or no activity; the unbelievably low sanitary conditions of the Camp; the ubiquitous photographers and petty traders with more stamina than any Corper could boast of; of fresh love and love unrequited as they remind me of similar experiences in my case. And then the people - the shock of people from across the country, forced to live together. It made for interesting perspectives of life.

Tunmise will agree. She was posted to Kano where she initially knew no one and had to adapt to a series of culture shocks and countercultures. In writing her memoirs, this young lady has documented her struggles and successes, as well as the highs and lows of the Service year. This book delves wholeheartedly into the world of a young woman who got a break she never even knew she needed; an introduction into the real world and to another side of Nigeria.

I haven't yet seen anyone document this literally-once-in-a-lifetime experience with humour, wit and simplicity as perfectly as she has done. In keeping a journal at the time and not waiting till she left Camp to pen down the sum total of happenings during her stay, she has done a generation's narrative an important favour. Her story is a refreshing one and will appeal to any new Corper about to enter into Camp as well as rake up nostalgic feelings for those who are done with it.

This generation doesn't document enough of its stories. For doing so, and doing it so well, I say thank you, Tunmise.

- Chude Jideonwo

Chief Executive Officer at, Joy, Inc. and Author of Are We The Turning Point Generation?

Author's Note

Early in September of 2004, I proceeded to Kano State in Northern Nigeria to start my three-week stint at the National Youth Service Orientation camp in Ungogo. National Youth Service is a compulsory programme for Nigerian graduates that has been in place since 1973 to help foster national unity. Each graduate is posted to a State other than their State of origin for a year. They are expected to contribute to development in the area in one way or another, usually by teaching in local schools, working in Government Hospitals and Parastatals etc. in return for a salary paid to them by the Federal Government.

All members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are required to spend three weeks in an Orientation Camp at the beginning of their service year. This book started out as a journal I kept during my three weeks in Camp.

As you share in my Camp experience, I hope that those who have never had the opportunity to go to NYSC Camp would have an idea what it is like, and possibly conclude that they missed out on some good fun!

For those who have been to Camp, no matter how long ago, they will recall, perhaps with some nostalgia, their adventure. And to those who still have Camp ahead of them well, now that you have a preview of what it is like, you can either look forward to it or be full of dread!

For everyone, as you follow my journey all the way to the last page, I hope you enjoy the reading experience, and gain something insightful, no matter how small - a word, a phrase, a joke, a lesson - just as I did.

DAY ONE

Tuesday 070904

11:00 am

Domestic Airport, Lagos

I really should have started writing this last night but I was quite tired. I certainly feel a little more relaxed about the idea of going to Kano today than I have felt in the last few days.

It is 11:00am now, and I am still in the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed domestic airport, waiting for the boarding call of an 11:15am flight. It does not even look as if they will be ready for us in another half hour as all other flights are also running late. All hail Nigeria!