NYSC REGISTRATION + CAMP EXPERIENCE

HELLOO!!! So I am currently in Nigeria undertaking my National Youth Service and I must admit it has been an exciting journey thus far! Some of my friends have said to me, “Muji, you are one of the few people I know who is enjoying NYSC”. Well, like anything else, the NYSC scheme has its advantages and disadvantages, especially post-camp life. I won’t say its been entirely easy, living in another state, away from family and friends, adapting to a new way of life and making new friends. However, I have learnt a lot and I continue to learn everyday. I won’t be diving deep into the NYSC experience as it is just my third month as a corps member, rather, In this post, I will be highlighting everything you need to know concerning NYSC registration process for foreign-trained Nigerian graduates and my orientation camp experience.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a compulsory one year service undertaken by youths who graduated from higher institution before the age of 30. The NYSC has 4 cardinal points; the orientation programme, place of primary assignment (PPA), community development service (CDS) and winding up and passing out. What you will need to register Original copies of O-Level certificate, University Certificate, Transcripts, International Passport, and Residence permit. Keep in mind, you will also need to take these to camp along with the photocopies. Step 1 Create an account.

The NYSC portal will be open for registration, for a specific period of time. So create an account once the portal is opened for registration. You can do this at a cafe or at home. I did mine at a cafe for N2000. Please ensure you use a functioning Nigerian number when registering.   Your portal should display “you have not been evaluated yet” after registration. This means your profile hasn’t been checked by NYSC staff. Once you’ve been evaluated your profile will display your batch, for example, “You are in Batch B stream 2” along with your call up number. Step 2 Verification of credentials All foreign-trained prospective corps members (PCMs) are required to verify their credentials before proceeding to camp (You will be notified of the verification dates ahead of time). In order to do this, you will need all original copies of your certificates and to visit NYSC secretariat in one of the geo political zones: North West, North Central, South south, North East, South West, South East. I got verified in Abuja and it was a straight-forward process. I was asked a couple of questions concerning my educational background. You may be asked to write an essay. Keep in mind that most NYSC staff could be harsh and strict, so please learn to be patient at all times. Step 3 Printing of call up letter Your call up letter will be released a few days to camp. Print this and take it along with you to camp. Things to take to camp; Academic Certificates, University ID Card, Medical Fitness Certificate, Others; mosquito net, cooler/food flask, spoon, bedsheet, pillow, about three to five white shirts and shorts, white rubber sneakers. Some of these items are sold in camp.

NYSC CAMP EXPERIENCE Before camp, I had mixed feelings about how my 3 weeks in camp will look like. I had heard stories about camp life from my siblings and friends. They talked about the mammi market, the man o war drills, soldiers, the parades and other exciting stories that made me look forward to camp. So at this juncture, I was mentally prepared. I went to camp with an open mind, ready to try out new things, meet new people and make my 3 weeks as fun as it could ever be.  

On my arrival in camp, the first thing that put me off was my hostel, especially when I realised i was sharing the hostel with more than 50 persons. I’m not sure if it was the fact that the corners were very tight, with less ventilation (the fan in my corner wasn’t working), there was so much noise, like everyone was talking at the same time, people playing music on their phones, some trying to walk in or out of the hostel at the same time (hmmmm). However, thinking back that was what made the hostel fun. I got to observe people with different characters and behaviours unravel everyday. Some who were the late dressers, early risers, makeup artists, food lovers, the debaters, the story tellers, the comedians, and the spectators who never uttered a word, all from one hostel. I must admit though that the first week was very stressful, as registration continued in camp, so was the wait on long queues and also getting used to the environment and camp food. I got a bit homesick in the first week but of course, with mobile phones family is just a phone call away. I was mostly observing in the first week, checking out activities to join, navigating the popular mammi market and meeting new people.

The camp market, also known as the mammi market has a variety of products and services available. For example, there were laundry and phone charging services (no sockets in the hostels), clothing and book stores, different kinds of restaurants, photography and POS services all available. There are also hangout spots in the Mammi market, so if I didn't have anything doing in the evenings I would hang out with my friends at the Mammi market, probably gisting and eating suya. To make the most of my camp experience I went out of my comfort zone to join the Orientation Broadcasting Service (OBS), which is a station responsible for disseminating information in camp. There were areas like presenting, reporting, graphic designing, editing and photography. I was part of the presenting team where I met amazing people and made most of my friends. If you are part of the OBS you will probably not be involved in parades and other intense training except you want to, as there is already a lot of tasks at the OBS. The second week in camp became even more hectic. The daily schedule became intense. We were expected to be at the parade ground at 5am (I woke up way before this time to freshen up) for morning meditation and man o’war exercises. After which some platoons will go for early morning lectures, then everyone can go have breakfast. Immediately after breakfast, like 9 or 10am, all corps members were expected to be at the hall for SAED/lectures, until 2pm. SAED training involved a number of skills acquisition programmes, such as; food processing, film editing and photography, wig making and organics, makeup training and gele tying, fashion designing, cosmetology etcetera. After this we get to go for lunch, and at 4pm everyone is expected at the parade ground for parade rehearsals or dance and drama rehearsals. One of my tips is that you should make camp fun for yourself or else it will be a very long and boring 3 weeks. To make my camp experience unforgettable, I contested for Miss NYSC; I was chosen as a representative of my platoon. Although I didn’t win, it was a night to remember. I met other amazing, bold and beautiful women.

So, the third week was filled with social activities, like Miss NYSC, Miss Big Bold and Beautiful (BBB) and Mr Macho contest, and the Carnival, which all required adequate preparation. So I would emphasize the fact that camp was very interesting and fun for me because I made it so. I made friends with people from my platoon, and beyond, had enlightening conversations with like-minded people and finished camp happily and successfully. My advice is to be open-minded, and follow the right people then you will certainly make the most out of your experience. Good luck to all prospective corps members. Feel free to leave questions in the comment section.

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