Three days before the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) camp was set to begin, the posting portal finally opened. Like every other prospective corps member, I was anxious, refreshing the page over and over again. That night, I couldn’t see mine because of the network issues and I couldn’t sleep either.
Come the next morning, only for me to see ‘Ise Emure Camp, Ekiti State’. Funny thing is that, I didn’t cry, I didn’t scream, I just felt… weak and I asked myself “but what does this mean?”. Not because Ekiti was bad, but because it was unknown, no one in my family had ever been there or lived there. It felt like i had been sent somewhere completely outside our map both physically and mentally.
My parents didn’t take it well either, “Don’t go, Wait for the next batch” “Stay and be safer than sorry” everyone I told said the same thing but something in me had already checked that I was going, not for the full year yet, just camp, three weeks, i told myself I could handle it and more than anything I believed God was with me. Could I really handle it?
Read Also: Experience: My Journey To Kano For NYSC Orientation
Table of Contents
Leaving Familiar Grounds
As if God wanted to reassure me, my sister’s friend was also posted to the same camp and that changed everything. Suddenly, I wasn’t going alone, we started making plans to travel together on a Friday.
Living in Aba, we quickly realized there was no direct transport to Ekiti. So our journey had to be in stages, first to Anambra, then from there to Ekiti. That alone made the experience feel serious.
At the park in Anambra, we met other prospective corps members heading to Ekiti and that helped because meeting people, there was laughter, small conversations, shared anxiety and for a moment, it felt like we were all in this together.
But as the hours passed, the mood began to shift, evening came, then night and we were still at the park in Anambra. Our parents kept calling. You could hear the worry in their voices, my dad was so close to telling me to not travel that he would come pick me up that night but after much persuasion, he was able to calm down. By the time the bus finally moved, it was 11pm in the night.
A Journey Through The Night
We were tired, hungry, and slightly on edge.
I didn’t eat, I rarely do when travelling didn’t want the stress of looking for somewhere to use the restroom on the road but something unexpected happened. I started enjoying the journey.
It was my first time travelling overnight across multiple states, Anambra, Delta, Benin, Ondo. The roads were quieter, the usual noise of the day was gone, everything felt calm, almost reflective. In that silence, my fear softened.
Meanwhile, back home, my parents didn’t sleep. They kept calling, checking in, making sure I was safe every step of the way and that alone reminded me that I wasn’t really alone.
4AM : Reality Hits
We arrived at Ise-Emure around 4 AM. Cold morning air, dark surroundings and bushes. Bodies tired from spending hours on the road.
And then we heard: “We can’t let you in yet. Wait till morning.”
That moment was tough. We stood outside the gate for two hours from 4 AM to 6 AM. I was hungry, cold and exhausted. I needed a bath Asap but it seemed like i wasn’t getting any sooner.
No one really complained loudly, but you could feel it that everyone was stressed. When the gate finally opened, it felt like relief, a relief that was short lived.
The Shock Of Camp Life
Walking into camp was surreal. Corpers everywhere in white-on-white which is the famous “otondo” uniform. Bags being searched. Instructions flying around. The organized chaos of NYSC.
After registration (which felt like it took forever), I was assigned to Platoon 3. At that point, I just wanted to lie down but no rather I was told to change immediately and report to the lecture hall.
That was when exhaustion truly hit me and for the first time, I thought: “Maybe I should have listened to my parents.” But even in that moment, there was a quiet sense of pride that I had shown up.
Trying To Belong
The first week was overwhelming because there were faces everywhere, names I couldn’t remember. Voices, instructions and choas all blended in together. I was really just trying to adjust to the environment.
By the second week, the reality of camp life settled in, anytime i was on my way to collect my meal for the day, I would always look at the gate like a prisoner longing for the day of release and counting down to the last day.
Finding My People
Somewhere in between all that, things began to change. I made friends with people from my hostel and my platoon. People i laughed with, complained with and shared moments with. Even now some of those connections still remain.
There was also Mami Market, a small but lively space in camp where everything felt normal again. Food, drinks, clothes, little comforts from outside the structured camp routine.
It became our escape.
Week Three: Finally Living
By the third week, everything felt lighter. There were no more intense lectures, no more constant drills. Instead, there were social nights, carnivals, and freedom to breathe.
That was when I truly experienced camp. I spent time walking around with Sammie and Tersoo, just talking about life, dreams, and the future with no pressure and no stress just moments. Passing-out day came and I can say this with every bone in my body, It was one of the happiest days of my life.
I woke up early, full of energy, quickly packing my things, after the parade, i talked with some friends that I made in camp, knew where we were all posted to, said my goodbyes and I was already on my way to Ikere Ekiti for clearance and documentation.
From there, I travelled to Ado Ekiti, and because I came with Sammie i had to lodge in a hotel and wait for him. The next morning when he came to Ado, we both went to the park and I was finally heading home. Back to my father. Back to familiarity.
Looking back now, I realize something. Ekiti didn’t just give me a camp experience, It gave me growth. It taught me how to step into the unknown. How to survive discomfort. How to find connection in unfamiliar places. I went there afraid but I left stronger.
Camp was just the warm-up. The real experience started in Ikere Ekiti… and trust me, you don’t want to miss that part.
