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I wrote this piece on my first night in Buruku town. Hope its not coming too late.
Right now, I’m writing this piece from Yula Guest Inn Buruku, off Lagos road Chikun LGA Kaduna State. Buruku is a hamlet about 30 mins away from Kaduna town itself. Actually it’s a run down place that’s used mostly by prostitutes and their customers (mostly overnight truckers). Now before you go “Buruku??????????????????” I haven’t been banished to the village by NYSC. And in case you were wondering, the answer is one word CENSUS.
Yep, that’s right, the 2006 population and housing census . I’m here as a supervisor. I had the fortune or is it misfortune of being posted here for the exercise. So while my mates got the luxury of staying in Kaduna town I’m here in this hamlet called Buruku.
I wasn’t initially picked to participate in the census only about 500 out of1617 corpers were picked in the whole of kaduna State. Initially I was sad (I’d been seriously considering the extra money to be made) but after a while I got over it and like every one else made plans for myself concerning the holidays. I was going to finish my VB.net e-book, rent a couple of movies and generally have a nice time. It was going to be a long lovely weekend for me (Kaduna state towed the FG’s line and only declared Friday and Saturday as stay at home days).
WHEN WILL IT GET BETTER
I wrote this piece on my first night in Buruku town. Hope its not coming too late.
Right now, I’m writing this piece from Yula Guest Inn Buruku, off Lagos road Chikun LGA Kaduna State. Buruku is a hamlet about 30 mins away from Kaduna town itself. Actually it’s a run down place that’s used mostly by prostitutes and their customers (mostly overnight truckers). Now before you go “Buruku??????????????????” I haven’t been banished to the village by NYSC. And in case you were wondering, the answer is one word CENSUS.
Yep, that’s right, the 2006 population and housing census . I’m here as a supervisor. I had the fortune or is it misfortune of being posted here for the exercise. So while my mates got the luxury of staying in Kaduna town I’m here in this hamlet called Buruku.
I wasn’t initially picked to participate in the census only about 500 out of1617 corpers were picked in the whole of kaduna State. Initially I was sad (I’d been seriously considering the extra money to be made) but after a while I got over it and like every one else made plans for myself concerning the holidays. I was going to finish my VB.net e-book, rent a couple of movies and generally have a nice time. It was going to be a long lovely weekend for me (Kaduna state towed the FG’s line and only declared Friday and Saturday as stay at home days).
We were only recruited (albeit by force) after the NPC found out that most of the supervisors supposedly recruited for the exercise (with the exception of the corpers ) were stark illiterates the remainder were semi illiterates while some people were non existent. Apparently the NPC officials had fixed the names of their relatives, friends and in some cases totally fictitious names so that they could line their pockets.
After these things had been uncovered and coupled with the FG’s directive that all supervisors should be Corpers and external supervisors only, the NPC enlisted the help of the NYSC in getting as many corps member as possible to participate in the census and act as supervisors.
Trust the NYSC they used brute force to get us to participate. Not that we really would have minded but threatening us with extension of service was going a little too far.
Trust the NYSC they used brute force to get us to participate. Not that we really would have minded but threatening us with extension of service was going a little too far.
I for example got the news from a friend. She called me on a Wednesday five days after the training started. The conversation went something like ………
Adunni: Hello
Concerned friend: Yetunde!!!!! Come to LEA primary school Maiduguri road right now.
Adunni: Kilode , Ki lo n sele , Se ko si ( what’s wrong, what’s happening, Hope all is well)
CF: o wa o (There's something happening) they say we must participate in this census o !!!!!!!!
Adunni: ehhhhh who?
CF: NYSC, they say that if we don’t participate we might get extension of service
At this point I panicked. Yeepa Who wants an extension? So I asked ………….
Adunni: Okay how do I get there?
CF: Take a bike and come down now now
CF: Come now wo business center ni mo tin pe e (I’m calling from a business center)
I jumped on a bike, got there and was immediately given a letter of release to give my employer. I also made panic calls to other friends of mine who hadn’t heard the news. When we found out that it wasn’t true that missing the exercise would get us an extension, a lot of people including myself were very pissed. We would have jumped at the opportunity (to make extra money) with open arms but threatening us with extension of service was a little too much.
Adunni: Hello
Concerned friend: Yetunde!!!!! Come to LEA primary school Maiduguri road right now.
Adunni: Kilode , Ki lo n sele , Se ko si ( what’s wrong, what’s happening, Hope all is well)
CF: o wa o (There's something happening) they say we must participate in this census o !!!!!!!!
Adunni: ehhhhh who?
CF: NYSC, they say that if we don’t participate we might get extension of service
At this point I panicked. Yeepa Who wants an extension? So I asked ………….
Adunni: Okay how do I get there?
CF: Take a bike and come down now now
CF: Come now wo business center ni mo tin pe e (I’m calling from a business center)
I jumped on a bike, got there and was immediately given a letter of release to give my employer. I also made panic calls to other friends of mine who hadn’t heard the news. When we found out that it wasn’t true that missing the exercise would get us an extension, a lot of people including myself were very pissed. We would have jumped at the opportunity (to make extra money) with open arms but threatening us with extension of service was a little too much.
Anyway that was how I got recruited talk about fire engine approach. We were hurriedly trained (2 days as opposed to six or seven days), and posted to various LGAs. I got posted to Chikun LGA and from there I was posted to buruku.
The whole ordeal got me thinking; when will Nigeria learn to do things the right way? When will greed and self interest stop being our motive for doing things? When will Nigeria be able to organize something and everything or at least most of it go smoothly? When ……..
The stuff we went through during the training, the stuff we heard, will shock even the most hardened person. The people qualified for the jobs were not picked, those who managed to be picked attended the training and at the end of it they were told that someone else had collected their id cards and hence their training allowance.
Some people who saw their names on the list attended the training only to find out at the end that a new list of personnel was brought and their names were not on it. On this new list some names appeared as much as four five times. Some people, after going through the hell of collecting id cards and payment clearances found out at the point of payment that someone else had collected their training allowances and signed. Stuff like this just makes me sad and makes me wonder if this country will ever get any better.
With all the so called reforms and all the alleged good stuff that’s been sold to the world by the government, its little things like this that makes one realize just how bad and just how corrupt Nigeria is.
And the people do not help matters at all. We turn on ourselves and start fighting ourselves instead of the people in charge. For example reports from different training locations in Kaduna told of how corpers were threatened by people. Our crime? They were dropped for us. This coming from these uneducated and in most cases stark illiterates was almost too much to bear.
When O!!!!!! when will Nigeria get better? .........................
Well anyways I’m here in Buruku and I’m wondering how this whole exercise will turn out.
The whole ordeal got me thinking; when will Nigeria learn to do things the right way? When will greed and self interest stop being our motive for doing things? When will Nigeria be able to organize something and everything or at least most of it go smoothly? When ……..
The stuff we went through during the training, the stuff we heard, will shock even the most hardened person. The people qualified for the jobs were not picked, those who managed to be picked attended the training and at the end of it they were told that someone else had collected their id cards and hence their training allowance.
Some people who saw their names on the list attended the training only to find out at the end that a new list of personnel was brought and their names were not on it. On this new list some names appeared as much as four five times. Some people, after going through the hell of collecting id cards and payment clearances found out at the point of payment that someone else had collected their training allowances and signed. Stuff like this just makes me sad and makes me wonder if this country will ever get any better.
With all the so called reforms and all the alleged good stuff that’s been sold to the world by the government, its little things like this that makes one realize just how bad and just how corrupt Nigeria is.
And the people do not help matters at all. We turn on ourselves and start fighting ourselves instead of the people in charge. For example reports from different training locations in Kaduna told of how corpers were threatened by people. Our crime? They were dropped for us. This coming from these uneducated and in most cases stark illiterates was almost too much to bear.
When O!!!!!! when will Nigeria get better? .........................
Well anyways I’m here in Buruku and I’m wondering how this whole exercise will turn out.
Ill keep you posted
"
WHEN WILL IT GET BETTER
I wrote this piece on my first night in Buruku town. Hope its not coming too late.
Right now, I’m writing this piece from Yula Guest Inn Buruku, off Lagos road Chikun LGA Kaduna State. Buruku is a hamlet about 30 mins away from Kaduna town itself. Actually it’s a run down place that’s used mostly by prostitutes and their customers (mostly overnight truckers). Now before you go “Buruku??????????????????” I haven’t been banished to the village by NYSC. And in case you were wondering, the answer is one word CENSUS.
Yep, that’s right, the 2006 population and housing census . I’m here as a supervisor. I had the fortune or is it misfortune of being posted here for the exercise. So while my mates got the luxury of staying in Kaduna town I’m here in this hamlet called Buruku.
I wasn’t initially picked to participate in the census only about 500 out of1617 corpers were picked in the whole of kaduna State. Initially I was sad (I’d been seriously considering the extra money to be made) but after a while I got over it and like every one else made plans for myself concerning the holidays. I was going to finish my VB.net e-book, rent a couple of movies and generally have a nice time. It was going to be a long lovely weekend for me (Kaduna state towed the FG’s line and only declared Friday and Saturday as stay at home days).
We were only recruited (albeit by force) after the NPC found out that most of the supervisors supposedly recruited for the exercise (with the exception of the corpers ) were stark illiterates the remainder were semi illiterates while some people were non existent. Apparently the NPC officials had fixed the names of their relatives, friends and in some cases totally fictitious names so that they could line their pockets.
After these things had been uncovered and coupled with the FG’s directive that all supervisors should be Corpers and external supervisors only, the NPC enlisted the help of the NYSC in getting as many corps member as possible to participate in the census and act as supervisors.
Trust the NYSC they used brute force to get us to participate. Not that we really would have minded but threatening us with extension of service was going a little too far.
Trust the NYSC they used brute force to get us to participate. Not that we really would have minded but threatening us with extension of service was going a little too far.
I for example got the news from a friend. She called me on a Wednesday five days after the training started. The conversation went something like ………
Adunni: Hello
Concerned friend: Yetunde!!!!! Come to LEA primary school Maiduguri road right now.
Adunni: Kilode , Ki lo n sele , Se ko si ( what’s wrong, what’s happening, Hope all is well)
CF: o wa o (There's something happening) they say we must participate in this census o !!!!!!!!
Adunni: ehhhhh who?
CF: NYSC, they say that if we don’t participate we might get extension of service
At this point I panicked. Yeepa Who wants an extension? So I asked ………….
Adunni: Okay how do I get there?
CF: Take a bike and come down now now
CF: Come now wo business center ni mo tin pe e (I’m calling from a business center)
I jumped on a bike, got there and was immediately given a letter of release to give my employer. I also made panic calls to other friends of mine who hadn’t heard the news. When we found out that it wasn’t true that missing the exercise would get us an extension, a lot of people including myself were very pissed. We would have jumped at the opportunity (to make extra money) with open arms but threatening us with extension of service was a little too much.
Adunni: Hello
Concerned friend: Yetunde!!!!! Come to LEA primary school Maiduguri road right now.
Adunni: Kilode , Ki lo n sele , Se ko si ( what’s wrong, what’s happening, Hope all is well)
CF: o wa o (There's something happening) they say we must participate in this census o !!!!!!!!
Adunni: ehhhhh who?
CF: NYSC, they say that if we don’t participate we might get extension of service
At this point I panicked. Yeepa Who wants an extension? So I asked ………….
Adunni: Okay how do I get there?
CF: Take a bike and come down now now
CF: Come now wo business center ni mo tin pe e (I’m calling from a business center)
I jumped on a bike, got there and was immediately given a letter of release to give my employer. I also made panic calls to other friends of mine who hadn’t heard the news. When we found out that it wasn’t true that missing the exercise would get us an extension, a lot of people including myself were very pissed. We would have jumped at the opportunity (to make extra money) with open arms but threatening us with extension of service was a little too much.
Anyway that was how I got recruited talk about fire engine approach. We were hurriedly trained (2 days as opposed to six or seven days), and posted to various LGAs. I got posted to Chikun LGA and from there I was posted to buruku.
The whole ordeal got me thinking; when will Nigeria learn to do things the right way? When will greed and self interest stop being our motive for doing things? When will Nigeria be able to organize something and everything or at least most of it go smoothly? When ……..
The stuff we went through during the training, the stuff we heard, will shock even the most hardened person. The people qualified for the jobs were not picked, those who managed to be picked attended the training and at the end of it they were told that someone else had collected their id cards and hence their training allowance.
Some people who saw their names on the list attended the training only to find out at the end that a new list of personnel was brought and their names were not on it. On this new list some names appeared as much as four five times. Some people, after going through the hell of collecting id cards and payment clearances found out at the point of payment that someone else had collected their training allowances and signed. Stuff like this just makes me sad and makes me wonder if this country will ever get any better.
With all the so called reforms and all the alleged good stuff that’s been sold to the world by the government, its little things like this that makes one realize just how bad and just how corrupt Nigeria is.
And the people do not help matters at all. We turn on ourselves and start fighting ourselves instead of the people in charge. For example reports from different training locations in Kaduna told of how corpers were threatened by people. Our crime? They were dropped for us. This coming from these uneducated and in most cases stark illiterates was almost too much to bear.
When O!!!!!! when will Nigeria get better? .........................
Well anyways I’m here in Buruku and I’m wondering how this whole exercise will turn out.
The whole ordeal got me thinking; when will Nigeria learn to do things the right way? When will greed and self interest stop being our motive for doing things? When will Nigeria be able to organize something and everything or at least most of it go smoothly? When ……..
The stuff we went through during the training, the stuff we heard, will shock even the most hardened person. The people qualified for the jobs were not picked, those who managed to be picked attended the training and at the end of it they were told that someone else had collected their id cards and hence their training allowance.
Some people who saw their names on the list attended the training only to find out at the end that a new list of personnel was brought and their names were not on it. On this new list some names appeared as much as four five times. Some people, after going through the hell of collecting id cards and payment clearances found out at the point of payment that someone else had collected their training allowances and signed. Stuff like this just makes me sad and makes me wonder if this country will ever get any better.
With all the so called reforms and all the alleged good stuff that’s been sold to the world by the government, its little things like this that makes one realize just how bad and just how corrupt Nigeria is.
And the people do not help matters at all. We turn on ourselves and start fighting ourselves instead of the people in charge. For example reports from different training locations in Kaduna told of how corpers were threatened by people. Our crime? They were dropped for us. This coming from these uneducated and in most cases stark illiterates was almost too much to bear.
When O!!!!!! when will Nigeria get better? .........................
Well anyways I’m here in Buruku and I’m wondering how this whole exercise will turn out.
Ill keep you posted
Posts
5 comments:
Pele!! at least your stay in buruku is only a temporary one. After NYSC when will you ever go back there? Enjoy it while it lasts and try to have a good time.
Thanks i really did enjoy it in a way. Although i had some im going to start screaming now, that couldn't possibly be happening in this millenium moments and moments when i thought i couldnt take it anymore and i started thinking this will never be over. But in all it was a nice, worthwhile experience. But I dont ever want to do that again.
Although its a bit late, Welcome to the blogosphere, loving your blog already!
NYSC, pele sha, me i am running away from it, but i know i have to go and do it one day!
LOL at your 'by force' recruitment. I felt so sorry for the enumerators, who had to walk in the hot sun from house to house to do their counting. And then the no payment issue - after all their hard work!!! I would have been so mad.
Yes, I also thought that the whole thing was so inefficient. It could have been so much easier and efficient.
@ Nneka
Thanks. You'd better do it quick 'cos its better to do it,enjoy it and get it over with.
@ Ore
Yeah it could have been if only the people in charge did the right thing. Well with Nigeria one can only hope that someday we will get there.
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