The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CAMPUS LIFE

  • Campus Life reporter to launch fashion line

    Campus Life reporter to launch fashion line

    A reporter with Campus Life of The Nation, Miftaudeen Raji, has turned his attention to fashion as a result of his passion for African-inspired designs. He is working on his debut collection.

    Raji, a 300-Level undergraduate of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said in an interview that he was going into fashion business to take advantage of its potential.

    He hinged his decision on his high level of interest in fashion and the need to be an entrepreneur as a student.

    He also spoke of plans to launch his dream clothing brand this year.

    “Right now, I am still very meticulous over the corporate identity of my brand. I want to ensure a lot of things are perfected before unveiling because whatever image I present to the public now remains forever and I don’t want anything short of excellence,” he said.

    Raji said he was determined to key into the aspirations of the government in producing and buying Nigerian brands to grow the nation’s economy.

    On the prospects of the fashion industry, he said: “The Nigerian fashion industry has been said to be worth about $10billion (about N1.5trillion). Some stakeholders have also projected that African fashion alone can grow to become a $15.5billion industry in the next five years. Globally, the creative and fashion industry is estimated to be potentially worth about $5 trillion in annual turnover.”

    Raji said the world was aware of the industry and the capabilities of African designers, who feature in international fashion shows.

    “This implies that if given the right investment, African designers can compete well on the world stage,” he said.

    To prepare for his foray into fashion, Raji enrolled at a Lagos fashion school. He has worked with various professional designers and attended many fashion design events.

    He participated in the last edition of the Nigerian Students’ Fashion Design Week and the London Fashion Design Week.

    The journalist-turned-designer is skilled in sketching with modern computer-aided applications and has a repository of sketched works to his credit. He has also worked on a yet-to-be-unveiled designer collection that features attractive styles and themes.

    The fashion enthusiast started his journalism career in 2011 as a reporter for a campus newspaper “MAPECHO” (MAPOLY Echo) during his first year in the Mass Communication department at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere, Abeokuta.

    Between 2011 and 2013, Raji was attached to Nigerian Pilot newspaper (now National Pilot) for his three-month SIWES and one-year industrial attachment (IT), where he published stories in several editions of Iwe-Iroyin, a quarterly newspaper published by the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ).

    Raji has served as an editor of several newspapers and magazines and has also consistently published news stories in the CampusLife section of The Nation.

  • Dembaqq: A fresh window to campus life

    Dembaqq: A fresh window to campus life

    Since last year, the editorial team of DEMBAQQ Publication has been working to bring about the magazine. This is now a reality. The debut edition of DEMBAQQ magazine ‘Street Certified’ was launched in late last year.

    DEMBAQQ magazine is a campus publication that provides information on the happenings in the entertainment industry. Not only that, it educates the readers on different issues concerning youths like marriage, career development and others.

    Dembaqq magazine is a 37- paged glossy magazine on news, fashion, education and entertainment. Although most magazines more on blowing the trumpets of ‘already made’ starts in entertainment, Dembaqq magazine’s focuses on the promotion of upcoming artists. The editorial page gives a brief explanation of how it came to be. DEMBAQQ magazine is a baby that meets the demand of fans but is also committed to the industry standard of giving information, publicity which is the magazine’s mission and vision for clients who longed for a platform to showcase themselves, products and services in the entertainment and fashion industry as well as the educational sector.

    The cover story, “the street king” is an exclusive interview on the new street persona in the music industry. The magazine travels to Ondo state to witness the MARE FESTIVAL with Artist, Olamide performing live in the Federal University of Technology, Akure. Also, Street Warri Boiz (SWB) Reloaded featured upcoming rapper “Erigga”. There is a report on the Unity Queen of Delta.

    On fashion, Instinct wears, an urban clothing line in Nigeria with the slogan, re-defining your instinct with no gender preference or age restriction is on page 36. Core products includes: T-shirts, Polo, Lumber jack shirts, varsity jackets, shorts, polo gowns, sweaters and jerseys. Services includes: branding events shows, ceremonies, companies, concerts, companies, groups and individuals.

    Was bitten the hand that fed him justified and was his death a better way to repay a worthy member who had helped to buy souls for the illuminati? “Legend”, on page 10 and 11 gives an insight on the death of the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson and lifelong affiliation with the illuminati.

    Due to the impact made and the legacy left behind by the “King of pop”, video game developer, Ubisoft announced the release of a video game in 2010; a new dancing-and-singing game featuring Michael Jackson titled Michael Jackson: The experience.

    No doubt, the criteria of making a good movie are a well-written script and screenplay. As such, this letter from Nigerian screenplay writer, Chinye Ezike titled Street Abuse to mothers give reasons behind the absence of some Nigerian fathers in the upbringing of children. Ezike said that it is due to the high rate of single mothers in West Africa. The damage of bringing up a child in a cushioned way, according to her, has also contributed to this issue where a sheltered man is unable to function without his parents functioning his bank account. Some of these fathers are even from broken homes and do not have the slightest idea of how to raise a child.

    Street Revolution by writer and blogger, Osomo Bilkiss Omosalewa. Bilkiss is of the opinion that one must not be an entertainer to display creativity. According to him, creativity comes with the way one defines an action and doing something that has been done but in a different way whether adding or subtracting. He said veterans in the entertainment industry are not helping to bring up upcoming act into limelight. Omosalewa criticised Nigerians who derive pleasure in listening more to veteran musicians instead of encouraging the upcoming acts. He advised that employment should not be based solely certification; what about those that cannot afford to education.

    Other pages in the magazine include: “Zoom-in” featuring Nigerian comedian Francis Agoda known as “I go Die”, health page on breast cancer, tips for acting, making movies and principles of acting, cover story on Warri rapper, Erhiga Agarivbie with also known as “Erigga” as well as ;Uncensored featuring another Nigerian comedian, Bright Okpocha also known as “BasketMouth” and second place winner in the 1ST West Africa Idol in 2007, Omawumi Megbele; The Next Generation of upcoming stars , Entrepreneurship 101, love matters, tips on how to get over a break-up and how to know if it’s real love.

  • Securing our campuses

    Eight decades ago, precisely on May 23, 1932, in Sao Paolo, Brazil, four students: Martins, Miragaia, Drausio and Camargo were shot dead by government troops while protesting the 1930 coup and the dictatorial government of Gertulio Vargas. What was their offence? They agitated for a constitutional government. Their death spurred an uprising in Sao Paolo that led to the Constitutional Revolution of 1932. Although, the main demands of the revolutionary movement was granted at the end of the day, the blood of the four students had been spilled to usher in a new era.

    In a related event, that reminds me again of the UNIPORT 4. Their case was not so different from that of the Sao Paolo 4. In fact, the UNIPORT 4 were victims of a communal sacrifice. The quartet of Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, Mike Lloyd Toku, Biringa Chidiaka Lordson and Tekena Erikena were lynched by a heartless mob in a community that is supposed to host and protect them. The manner in which they were lynched and subsequently torched was symptomatic of the Stone Age. If Capt. William Lynch were to be alive to witness this tale of savagery, he would cry his eyes out forgetting the fact that the term ‘lynch’ was coined from his name. It is now over eight months after that incident of October 5, 2012 was staged just like one of those scenes in Spartacus, but justice has not been served.

    The Federal Polytechnic, Mubi in Adamawa State, however, witnessed one of the worst infernal carnage. The Mubi Massacre was an extermination plot of apocalyptic dimension where students were brutally butchered with reckless abandon. According to media reports, the executioners were said to have come with a hit list and a roll call was made with the respondents gruesomely slaughtered. With the contradictory reports pertaining to the actual cause of such monumental bloodbath, one can also predict the case would lead nowhere and could be swept under carpet afterwards.

    An attack on a gathering of Christian students holding services in the sport complex and lecture theatre in Bayero University, Kano State was one too many. The bitter killing of those students was needless and uncalled for. That gory incident really exposed how vulnerable our institutions are. How could the murder of those innocent students on a peaceful gathering go a long way to quench the insatiable thirst of a venomous faceless group, many are wont to ask?

    July 10, 1999 was a day students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, would not forget in a hurry. It was a day the devil descended in its full regalia to establish a throne in Awolowo Hall. The ogre was freely let loose in the university as the mortal flesh of promising young men was openly sacrificed. That onslaught marked the re-birth of a collective security awakening which could still be felt till date among the students.

    This chain of student murder underscores the apparent laxity of the government and our institution’s management in curbing the stratospheric rate of student insecurity in our campuses. In no sane society would the government assume a clueless pose when students in their intellectual treasure house are being reckless subjected to incessant butchery.

    It is no longer news that the country is engulfed with overwhelming security challenges ranging from the Boko Haram insurgency to the non-stop kidnappings. In the face of this present reality, the point here is that, there is an urgent need to acknowledge students’ security as a catalyst that will ensure a productive output from the ivory towers across the country.

    Insecurity has always been a major factor why our higher institutions earn a constant placement below that of their counterparts in neighbouring African countries. What bothers me most often is the role of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in ensuring that Nigerians students are secured in and outside their campuses. I guess student security is not captured in their agenda since all we do hear about this students’ body is its annual election and incessant toothless condemnation of unfavourable policies.

    The management of our higher institutions should, as a matter of urgent necessity, sit on a roundtable discussion with traditional and political leaders of the host communities where various student hostels are located to ensure a safe ambience in which the students would enjoy a relative peace among the indigenous people. In particular reference to the case involving the UNIPORT 4, one fact must be made clearer here. Evil is evil, no matter the colour it wears. Even if it was a case of real theft or clash of interest among cult groups, they did not deserve such a macabre punishment meted on them by people that were meant to shield them. The relationship between students and their host communities ought to be mutual in such a way that they would work hand-in-hand to ensure the security of all and sundry.

    However, we look forward to students as the future leaders that will steer the course of our nation. Therefore, a bid to protect them means protecting a national treasury. Or are we going to wait until a state of emergency is declared on our higher institutions?

     

    Taiwo is a Corps member, NYSC Ibadan

     

     

  • A new beginning

    A new beginning

    Thousands of freshers admitted into Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) took the oath at a ceremony marked with cultural display and drama by various indigenous organisations, KAMALUDDEEN ABUBAKAR (200-Level Geography) reports.

     

    By 7:30am, celebration had begun in the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK). Freshers recently admitted by the institution were joined by their parents and relatives to mark their matriculation ceremony held last week.

    Clad in their matriculation gowns and caps to fit, the students moved into the convocation square, the venue of the event. Beaming with smile and expressing joy, the freshers welcomed the body of principal officers, which was led by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Aminu Salihu Mika’ilu.

    In his speech, Prof Mika’ilu congratulated the students for their success during the strict admission exercise. “I wish to welcome you, our dear matriculating students, to Nasarawa State University. After the oath you have taken today, you have now become part of the university community with all the rights and privileges of being a member of this unique institution,” he said.

    The VC told the students to consider themselves lucky for scaling the screening hurdle, advising them to take their studies seriously and refrain from cultism, examination malpractices and vices that could terminate their academic careers.

    “You must avoid cultism, examination malpractices and vices such as indecent dressing, drug abuse, theft, sexual harassment and fighting in order to ensure continue peaceful atmosphere and stability. Your primary purpose in this university is the pursuit of academic excellence. You are, therefore, expected to study hard,” he charged.

    Prof Mika’ilu announced the donation of a water tanker and a 500KVA generator from the state government to the university. The highpoint of the ceremony was the administration of oath on the newly admitted students and cultural display and drama by members of various students’ organisations on campus.

    Some of the freshres and their parents spoke to our correspondent after the event.

    Ahmad Suleiman, 100-Level Computer Science, expressed gratitude to God to have scaled through the rigour of admission process. “I appreciate it that I am today a student of this great citadel of learning. I understand that only 10 per cent of the prospective students were offered admission this year and I am one of those people. I consider this a good reason for me to study hard and excel in flying colours,” he said.

    “For six consecutive years, I have been seeking a placement into this school and this is the year that my admission came to be. I feel highly fulfilled. It has always been my dream to study in this university; thank God I have fulfilled this. I found the environment accommodating,” Justina Samson said.

    A direct entry student, who spoke in anonymity, expressed worry over the capacity of the lecture rooms, saying: “You hardly get a word from the lecturers because of overcrowding, which has made learning difficult for some of us. I urge management to provide more lecture rooms.”

  • A race for life

    A race for life

    By 6:30am last Wednesday, the participants had gathered at the Aluta Mansion, the Students’Union Government (SUG) building, to collect their kits. The exercise took sometime and then all was set for the race. The participants moved to the main gate for the business of the day.

    It was a marathon organised by the Students’ Union officials of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).

    Sponsored by Dangote Group, MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Lassa Resources and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the race was held to create awareness about products that are harmful to health.

    At 9:15am, the participants were set for the race. It was reminiscent of an Olympic race.Participants glowed in their blue and yellow sport wears, which were supplied by the sponsors. Sport officials of the institution led by Mr Joseph Ogunbowale joined the athletes at the take-off point.

    Earlier, a combined team of officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), policemen and school security personnel had cleared the marathon routes for easy movement and safety. The routes, which started from the first gate of the Ikorodu campus to the library and the third gate, extended to Itamaga Express Road to Sabo Roundabout and Sagamu Road then back to the first gate.

    Logistics were in place and medical personnel were on hand with a well-equipped ambulance to attend to injured and distressed participants.

    As the race progressed, some athletes fell and could not continue. The medical team moved them out of the way for attention. Some whose condition was serious were taken to the school medical centre.

    The race, which lasted for 108 minutes, was won by Suleiman Amao, ND III Accountancy.The winner maintained his lead from the take-off point until he finished at 9.58am. The last athlete arrived at 11:03am.

    The runners-up were Toheed Adegoke, ND II Quantity Surveying, who arrived at 10am; Opeyemi Oluwadare, ND II Chemical Engineering, 10:02am; Jeremiah Akinmoyeje, ND III Business Administration, 10:04 am and Qudus Osuolale, ND II Business Administration, 10:05am.

    In the female category, Kehinde Odusanya, HND 1 Computer Engineering, came first at 10:20am. The runners-up were Modupe Tade, ND 1 Estate Management, 10:28am; Kelechi Inagu, ND 1 Computer Science, 10:30am; Funmi Ayenowo, HND II Civil Engineering, 10:33am and Adebukola Ajayi, HND 1 Accountancy, 10:34am.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited the medical centre where the injured were admitted, the Students Union Government (SUG) officials led by the President, Olanrewaju Balogun, Sport Director Samuel Akerele and Speaker of the union’s parliament Kehinde Olofintuyi, were in the building to check on them.

    Dr Ibrahim Abdulraheem, the Medical Director, said the students were stable. He advised the union officials to conduct pre-marathon exercise and medical examination before allowing participants to embark on the race next time.

    He said some of the admitted students had high blood pressure; others were diagnosed of other ailments.

    A few minutes later, the participants converged on the convocation ground for the announcement of the winner. It was a moment filled with anticipation. Principal officers and some guests mounted the podium .

    The Rector, Dr Abdulazeez Lawal, was absent but other senior officers, including the Registrar, Mrs Aderonke Ige; Assistant Dean of Students’ Affairs, Mr Adebayo Fapounda and Public Relations Officer Mr Olanrewaju Kuye joined the sponsors to present prizes to the winners.

    The prizes were MTN DSTV mobile phone with three months free subscription for the first positions, Airtel Internet mobile phone with three months free subscription for the winner; Also, LG DVD player was given to the second runner-up, Airtel Internet modem with a hand pack for the fourth position and MTN rechargeable lamps for the fifth position. The union also gave all winners its note books.

    The Trade Marketing Consultant of MTN, Mrs Elizabeth Otomewo, said the telecoms firms supported the initiative to hone the sporting skills of the students. Mrs Damilola Ajayi, representative of GSK, which provided Lucozade Boost drink for the participants, said the event was in line with the company’s objective.

    Sulaiman, the winner, said: “Relentless training and exercise made me to win the marathon. I run across the same axis every day and with the support of God, I won the race.”

    Saying the vote of thanks, Samuel, the union’s Sport Director, thanked the sponsors and management for supporting the initiative. He urged students to always take part in sporting activities to keep fit all the time.

    At the end of the event, participants were thrilled by DJ Da Dre, with hip hop music from local and foreign artistes.

     

  • Varsity inducts nurses

    Varsity inducts nurses

    Graduating students of the Nursing Department thronged the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Hotel and Conference Centre in white robes to be inducted into the Board of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

    Addressing the inductees during the thanksgiving service held for them, the Chief Medical Director of the UNICAL Teaching Hospital, Dr Thomas Agan, commended the graduates for scaling through the arduous training, charging them to uphold the ethics of the profession.

    The inductees were enjoined to seek more knowledge and register with the council so as not to be seen as quacks.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that of the 45 students, who were presented for the NMCN professional examination last November, 35 were successful.

    The guest speaker, Prof Andrew Uduigwomen, admonished the granduands to be committed to their calling.

    Citing Exodus 1-2, Uduigwomen urged the graduates to learn from Pharaoh’s daughter, who nurtured Moses, despite the king’s directive to kill him.

    The highpoints of the ceremony was the oath-taking and presentation of awards to outstanding students.

    In her vote of thanks, the graduating students’ representative, Dorothy Ikumegwang, thanked God for the success of their programmes.

    She expressed gratitude to the management, lecturers and their parents, she who supported them throughout the training.

    One of the graduates, Abasiama Edet, said: “I am grateful and fulfilled.”

     

  • Fellowship organises Jesus Sales

    Fellowship organises Jesus Sales

    The Redeemed Christian Fellowship (RCF), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife chapter, has held a trade fair tagged “Jesus Sales” for students. The fair started on a Saturday at the covered pavilion of the Sport Complex with exhortation by pastors in the fellowship.

    Students were told not to see the trade fair as an avenue to buy items at cheaper prices, but instead they should see it as a propagation of love to the needy.

    After the brief sermon, tags were distributed to ensure the purchase of food items at low prices. Packaged foods and beverages such as noodles, sachets of milk and Bournvita were sold for as low as N20. Sachet of Spaghetti went for N50 and a kongo of rice and beans went for N250 each.

    Students swarmed the venue to get food items.

    One of the welfare officers of the fellowship said the food items were donated to be sold by unnamed philanthropists. But the proceeds from the sales would be used to fund activities of the fellowship and members’ needs. Orphans would also benefit from the proceeds.

     

  • A vote for dress codes on campuses

    Campuses are considered places of freedom by many students. After being admitted into a higher institution, a student believes that he has passed the stage of parental control in his life. Many students go to school with such mindsets, believing that they have become adults and should be independent.

    On campuses, such freedom has been abused in many ways. It is no news that campuses have turned to runways for indecent dresses. It is a common sight to see a male student with sagging pair of trousers that reveal the underwear and shirts laying bare the chest. Ladies put on tight shorts and skirts that reveal the shapes and contours of their body.

    Male students design their trousers in such a way to open their waist, thus exposing the upper parts of the buttocks and lower abdomen. Their shirts are short, hardly covering the abdomen and revealing the upper curves of the breasts and the skin between them. Others put on tight trousers, revealing the body’s details and skin colour.

    The prevalence of this mode of dressing is stimulating a debate on whether dress codes should be enforced on campuses. This essay examines arguments for both sides and concludes that dress codes enforcement is long overdue on our campuses.

    Those who support implementation of dress codes argue that indecent dresses cause distraction on campus. They claim that such dresses make it difficult for students and staff to concentrate on their tasks. Bad dresses are also blamed for the increasing sexual harassment and rape of female students on campuses. The argument is that provocative dresses seduce men and arouse a desire, which forces them to want to have carnal knowledge of girls at all cost.

    Promiscuity and moral corruption prevalent on our campuses are also attributed to indecent dressing. As a solution to this trend, proponents of dress codes call for an enforcement of strict regulation to stop people from going naked. The codes oblige students and staff to dress in conformance to certain standards. This is then enforced by security personnel on campus.

    Pro-dress code advocates met a stiff opposition in activists and women groups that argue dress codes are targeted at women to constitute a form of gender discrimination. They insisted that female students have the freedom to dress the way they want without being harassed by anybody. The discrimination story is not true.

    First, dress codes are not made only for females. The regulations prohibit certain bad habits of male students such as sagging, putting on earrings and plaiting of hair. Secondly, it is interesting that the feminist groups do not say dressing indecently is right. Instead, they argue people have freedom to dress the way they so wish. However, they must also know that the concept of freedom is not absolute.

    Let us imagine what would happen if I park a tanker across the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway because I have freedom to park my vehicle where I want to. Another road user comes and insists on his freedom to pass. Multiply this scenario across the various instances we have to make decisions daily and one will discover how chaotic the society will become. So, it is in everyone’s interest for freedom to be regulated.

    In geography examination, for instance, a student has the freedom to write that the earth has a rectangular shape. But we all have general belief that earth is spherical. If the student writes that eath is rectangular, he fails. This means he cannot express his freedom of alternative thought absolutely. And if students are not free to write whatever they want in their exams, why should they be free to put on anything (clothes) to the exam hall? Is this concept of freedom not rather contradictory?

    One fundamental question the opponents of dressing code have to ask is: when we resist a dressing code, will the resistance be felt at work places? We cannot stretch the issue of freedom that far. If students put on whatever they want because they have the freedom, what happens when they also insist on the freedom to come for lectures any time they want? If our institutions are training students, so that they can cope with challenges in the labour market, should they not also equip them with codes of conduct – including dressing – that are acceptable to the society in which this labour market exists? Or are we alluding to the claim that Nigeria is a codeless – or put succinctly – lawless society?

    In fact, the question of dress codes touches on the fundamental character of our society. What sort of people are we? Why do we exhibit undisguised affinity for lawlessness, corruption and allergic to discipline? We do not want to stand in the queue. We do not keep time. We do not even want to work full hours. We just want to be paid quick and fast.

    It shows that something is fundamentally wrong with our value system and perhaps, it is because we have debated the enforcement of codes of conduct for too long. We must, however, understand that dress codes should not involve imposition of rigid rules on students. Instead, it should give general guidelines within which individuals can improve their creativity and remain fashionable.

    There is need for regulation of our dress habits to minimise sexual harassment and promiscuity, reduce distraction and generally instill in us, a culture of discipline and moderation, which is the main attribute of education. Given the current level of indecency exhibited on our campuses, dress codes should not just be enforced; it must be enforced now.

     

    Msonter, 200-Level Medicine, BSU Makurdi

  • Agric students hold lecture

    Agric students hold lecture

    Greeners’ Association, a students’ group under the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has held a lecture with the theme: Channelling youth energy to agriculture: A panacea to national unrest.

    Organised with the aim of encouraging students to see opportunities in farming, the lecture suggested measures for agriculture to be a catalyst for national development.

    Greeners’ Association President Abdulraheem Abdulraheem said the group was a professional one, which organises practical sessions for agricultural students to have the basic skill.

    He urged his colleagues to always engage in practical than theory to have a deep knowledge in feed formulation, artificial insemination and moringa.

    He urged the students not to depend on government policy on agriculture, which he said was not being implemented.

    Ahmed Aliyu, a member of the group, spoke on quail eggs, which he said were nutritional. He observed that the Japanese quail was first domesticated in China and matured within six weeks for the production of eggs. He said the quail was experimental birds that reacted faster to drugs and the result could be got within two weeks when administered compared to cattle, which may take more than eight months for the drug to react.

    Ahmed said when three to four eggs were taken, it could help to stimulate appetite, cure tuberculosis and is good for brain development.

    The guest lecturer, Dr A.Z. Aderolu, from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said channeling the energy of youths to agriculture should be the aim of policy makers. He noted that majority of students did not want to engage in farming.

    Narrating an experience as a student, Aderolu said he had collaborated with a friend to buy 500 hens for rearing, all of which died after they were infected with Gumboro disease. The incident , he said, caused a huge loss to him and his friend. But he said he was determined to continue with the business.

    “As I talk to you, I have thousands of broilers and layers that produce more than 350 crates of eggs daily; I have a breeder that produces thousands of breeds in one week and lots of business I am managing,” he said.

    He told the students to have mentors and develop their enterprising abilities, admonishing that the road may be rough at first but determination would make them to overcome challenges.

     

  • How NYSC changed my view of the North

    How NYSC changed my view of the North

    “If Nigeria is to make rapid progress on all fronts internally, and if she’s to make her mark on the continent of Africa, and, indeed, in the comity of nations, her youths must be fully mobilised and be prepared to offer willingly and without asking for rewards in return, their best in the service of their nation at all times,” Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, said during the inauguration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on June 4, 1973.

    Prior to being mobilised for the National Youth Service, I used to think of horrific experiences I would go through during my service year. Fresh from the furnace, which higher institution campuses can be called, a graduate is made to live with yet another people from different cultural backgrounds with a meagre stipend and no accommodation.

    I got the impression that the scheme was a post-civil war panacea for reuniting the country. Well, our leaders caused the civil war but why are they disturbing my life by asking me to heal the wound they had caused? So I thought. When I was younger, I really hoped that events and government in Nigeria would abolish this mandatory service before it got to my turn.

    Today, however, I write this piece as a Corps member and a willing participant in a scheme I once wished should be abolished. And it is amazing that I discovered the beauty of the scheme just in my first few months of active service to my fatherland.

    When I was posted to Zamfara State, it took me time to get over the trauma. After I got my call-up letter, I sat on a fence for hours, ruing what had befallen me. With growing insecurity in the North, I had thought I was going for a journey of no return. But was it funny? My colleagues, who got posted to relatively peaceful parts of the country, mocked me, as though it was all planned.

    Some of them pitied me and said sweet words to douse my fear. The thought of redeployment came to mind. Friends asked me to feign incurable ailment just to get out of Zamfara State after the three-week orientation.

    Hitherto, I had been told the story of Zamfara and its strict Sharia Legal system during the administration of Governor Ahmad Yerima. We heard stories of amputation as punishment for even mild offences. Since I could not change the posting immediately, I left for the state with open mind. It was when I got to the state that I knew all the stories we heard in the South were actually exaggerated.

    In the orientation camp, dance and drama competitions held for Corps members brought together people of various tribes of the country to foster unity. I heard languages I never thought existed; names I could never pronounce. We discussed issues ranging from insecurity and corruption and it was surprising to see my fellow Corps members condemning evil. Our daily activities in the camp always started with a Muslim and Christian prayer and this shows that we are one people indivisible by religion or ethnicity.

    We were privileged to have top government officials, including the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, and the NYSC State Co-ordinator, Mrs Ruth Bakka, to educate us on the state and its people. The Emir stated clearly that Sharia was to guide Muslims on their religious path and thus was not binding on non-Muslims. He said Christians are free to go about their normal business without fear of molestation whatsoever but should dress decently and respect the law of the land.

    In Southern part, we have different opinion of the North. We were told that places such as Zamfara State belong to Siberia given its low level of education and its culture, which is believed to be brutish and ordinary.

    We were told that Hausa girls don’t go to school. But I was stunned to see over 3,000 girls in a secondary school in Samaru struggling to get education. In camp, I met Muslim girls, who graduated with better grades than many of us from the South. They all wore Hijabs (veil), which were neatly tucked in.

    I also found that the average Hausa man is trustworthy and down-to-earth. When he tells you it is N10 gaskiya (truth), so it is. Tell a motorcyclist that you are stranded and he will be glad to help you to where you are going.

    At the place of my primary assignment (PPA), senior officials would make tea in a cold morning and share among the staff; even the gatemen would use cups from the Oga’s office. But Ogas in the south are to be feared from afar. One’s effort to learn Hausa language is instantly rewarded with slashed prices of commodities.

    When I was posted to my PPA in Kaura Namoda and I lost my way, I was directed to the lodge of Muslim Corps members, where I was fed and attended to regardless of my religious affiliation. This selfless service to has constantly been rendered by the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN), Catholic Corpers Association and the likes. These organisations are made up of Nigerians helping Nigerians regardless of tribe or tongue. This is one of the dividends of the NYSC scheme.

    I am now confident that the scheme is steadily achieving its objective, which is “to inculcate in Nigerian youths the spirit of selfless service to the community and to emphasise the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background.”

    Serving in Zamfara State has afforded me a lot of opportunities I would not have had if I remained in my Eastern zone. At least, I have experienced Zamfara for myself and can now separate fact from fiction. The state is peaceful and friendly. You are appreciated as a Corps member.

    The state even has good amusement park when my Imo State cannot boast of one. I have seen their religious practices and I can now compare with mine. I have seen their flaws and I now know how I can help. I have understood that you don’t judge people or any entity from afar; you must come closer, live amongst them and you will be amazed at how much you did not know.

    More importantly, I have seen that we are all the same people and can exist as one; you as a Christian and I as a Muslim, life will still go on. Our cultural and religious differences are simply variety, which we all know are spices of life. There is really no need for the hate anyone because of his tongue, background or faith.

     

    Nnaemeka is a Corps member, NYSC GUSAU