Ajuwaya in an Ijaw land

Glory to God, I'm at the end of my service year and I've successfully completed my 12 months of National Service to Nigeria. I was privileged to serve in the South-South region, precisely Bayelsa state.

I remember waking up one random morning with a nudge that I was going to serve in Bayelsa and the first thing I did was to open google and search for opportunities in the financial sector of the state. I found out that there was a CBN branch located in Yenagoa and probably that was where the "Lord was sending me to". Ever since then, I've always told those around me that I would serve in Bayelsa. Every time my Mum heard that, she would immediately reject it for me because it is not her daughter that would go for service in a very distant location. 

After a very long while (Covid and a sprinkle of OAU), it was finally time to register for NYSC. All my attempts to select four states were futile. I kept on seeing "no states available" and in the end, I registered without selecting states. I was actually disturbed because others that couldn't select states still had the "selecting states" page showing on their portal while I didn't. I was hoping that I don't get thrown to one northern state considering the insecurities in that region. Well, if they did, I'd be the one championing my relocation. Another disturbing thing for me was that my school sent a wrong name to NYSC, Oluwafunmilola instead of Olufunmilola. I applied for change of name on NYSC portal and that took forever. During the waiting period, I almost gave up on going for NYSC with that batch because NYSC released an Information that if the name on your Statement of Result is different from the name on the NYSC portal, one wouldn't be allowed to continue the in-person registration unless it is rectified. Thankfully, it was rectified the day before I was supposed to report to camp.

As God would have it, Callup letter came out and I found out that I was posted to Bayelsa. The first thing I did was to tell my mum that I told her I was going to Bayelsa. Fast forward to transporting my self to Bayelsa. I've always wanted to enter a plane and see how it felt. My first flight experience was when I was coming to camp. Before then, I've actually never seen a plane anywhere other the ones I see in the sky but it felt so surreal sitting in one. Although I couldn't secure a window seat, I was still able to catch the glimpse of how beautiful the view was. The clouds and everything in the sky just made me marvel at how great God is. I flew from Lagos to Port-harcourt with Dana Air and it was a wonderful first time experience. After which I did a road trip back to Bayelsa. (The Airport in Yenagoa wasn't functioning yet)

After going through the registration process, it was time to start parade rehearsals. It was at that point I knew that marching wasn't part of my calling. Less than an hour into the training, I was close to fainting because everywhere around me had literally turned into a black atmosphere. Camp soldiers wouldn't let me leave the parade ground but  a good soldier saw that I was at the verge of falling down and that I wasn't doing anything they said any longer, asked me to leave and go to the clinic. I went straight to the clinic to sleep and that was my last day on the parade ground. 

Luckily for me, I was told about OBS (Orientation Broadcasting Service) and I decided to join and it saved me from anything called parade. I joined the Media team where we took pictures and videos of the events happening in Camp. I learnt how to use a camera courtesy @ifechiworks and I got my self a new title (UJU FOTO). OBS literally gave me the friends I'd call family that made my stay in Bayelsa worth while. 

After camp, I found out that I was posted to one private school in Okutukutu, Yenagoa. "But this is not CBN now". Why would I be posted to Bayelsa and it's not CBN. Well, I reported to the school and fortunately for me, I was rejected and given a choice to look for where I wanted. During my research, I found out that Corps members “without legs” aren't posted to Financial Institutions talk less of a whole CBN. I decided to go for a Government Secondary School and I can say that it was a very good decision. Serving in that Government school was “soft work” because you only go to school when it’s your time to teach and when you’re done, you go back home. 

I definitely added a considerable amount of weight in Bayelsa. Did I eat Bayelsa food? Nope! I’d consider myself someone who has trust issues with trying new things. Bayelsa is known for Bole and Fish with Sauce. I tried the delicacy for the first time during my orientation camp and it definitely turned my stomach for like 2 days. So, getting out of camp and entering the community, I knew that nothing will get me close to buying that meal. Little did I know that I’d later fall in love with the sister meal “Bole and Beans”. But I kind of came late into that relationship. My love, I enjoyed the little time we had together with the woman at Okaka Junction. I would never forget what we had. 

 I’d credit my weight gain to the tranquility available in the state, the amount of carbohydrate I pushed into my system and in the path I carved out for my self (soft PPA).

I know there are a lot of tips about selecting friends but I’m not sure I’ve used any of those tips and luckily for me, I’ve always found myself in great friendship groups. Some of my closest friends during NYSC were guys who we worked together as OBS members during camp and trust me, they are the best.

Overall, I'd say I had a swell time in Bayelsa, I met great people, I worked alongside amazing people both at my PPA, KHAN Initiative, Editorial Board CDS and  NCCF. Even though Bayelsa is a state filled with a lot of water, I didn't get to board a boat or experience life in that regard which kind of makes it seem like I didn't explore enough. But in all, if you ask me the farthest state I've been to, Bayelsa would come in handy.

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