The Influence of NYSC on ME

Hello there,

It's the weekend and @Galenkp has introduced a very thought-sparking, critical and interesting topic, of which I believe everyone should participate in. The word "influence" is the summary of every man's life. Everything we do as human beings, whether good or bad is as a result of the influence had over us, could be from someone, something or a certain situation. More so, whatever we are or will become in life is a function of the multiple influences had on us at several levels.

I'll like to throw more light on the above statements. Just like in Physics, we will never act, do or become anything except we are being acted upon by external force called influence. Rich and successful people didn't just get there, they were all being influenced to attain those heights either directly or indirectly.

Some were influenced to work hard when they looked at the condition of their parents or family. Some were influenced by the friends they kept while some were being influenced upon by books they read, teachers or things they heard. However, the highest and and most common level of influence is that of a person. This is why it's pertinent for us to know the kind of people we surround ourselves with.

If you want to keep gaining positive influence then surround yourself with good people. Bad people will always influence you to do bad things and vice versa. Enough of the pep talk. Let me now tell you the many ways NYSC has influenced my life.

What is NYSC, you may be asking? It is an acronym for "National Youth Service Corp." It is a scheme in Nigeria where graduates from higher institutions have to compulsorily serve their fatherland before getting their certificate. The aim of the aim to further create a bond and unity among Nigerians. Usually, a person will be posted to another state; you don't serve in your state of origin.

I was actually due for NYSC since 2019 but because of the Covid-19 outage, the activity was paused. Finally, on July 27th, my NYSC experience started. Shockingly for me, upon receipt of my posting letter, I was being sent to Katsina. Katsina is in the northern part and there's usually a bit insurgency in some part of the state. My family were a bit scared but I told them I was going to be fine so, they stayed calm.

Me leaving for Katsina

Goodbye hugs from my sister

Getting to Katsina from my home state (Akwa Ibom) takes about 2 days if, using land. But it's shorter with flight however, I thought of experiencing the long-distance travel because I have never travelled that far on land. Moreso, that was my first time of traveling to the North of Nigeria. I have always been in the South. So, I needed the sight seeing as well. With this we can say that the first influence the NYSC scheme had on me is forcing me to visit the northern part of Nigeria.

The second aspect of its influence is my morning wake-up time. Normally, I wake up around 8am being that I usually stay up late. So, everyone at home was concerned about that when I left home for the NYSC camp. It was a bit difficult the first weeks but with time, I got to start waking up very early in the morning. There are even times, I wake by 4am.

Waking up by 4am to amend clothes

Also, the whole NYSC experience has taught me how to still stay fine without my family members being present. In other words, it's teaching me independence.

My newly rented apartment

Lastly, the NYSC scheme as made get to familiarize myself with 2 other languages which are; Hausa and Igbo. I didn't know anything about this languages before my NYSC. But having to travel to Katsina where I stayed in camp, I met Hausas there and that's how I learned the basics of the Hausa language.

My Hausa friend that taught me the Hausa language

After my camping days, I was relocated to the east, particularly, Anambra State where I currently am. The language in the East part of Nigeria is called Igbo. By virtue of staying and working in Anambra State, I have been surrounded by Igbo-speaking persons. So far, I have learned some words and still learning.

My Igbo friends

Hence, these are the 3 outstanding influence the NYSC scheme has had on me. In addition, there are all positive influence because all 3 things mentioned here are vital for success in life. NYSC has given me a very different experience. I have made a lot of valuable friends and I have had to make helpful adjustments.