The very first day after a hectic journey was still very hectic and dramatic. This was me in asaya kogi camp for the three weeks orientation NYSC programme in Nigeria.
I stepped out to join a long queue of people dragging their luggage as they moved.
"Are you from kogi state?" one of the inspectors asked as he saw me looking tired and angry all at once and still with a much angry face I replied 'No sir!' like seriously do i have kogi written on my forehead or what I was pissed at him as much as i was pissed at the snail-moving queue.
"What is your name and where are from? " He went ahead to bug my soul... But reluctantly I replied "My name is Blessing Enejo and I'm from Benue state sir." he smiled happily and said "wow! do you know you bear a kogi surname and that's probably because benue state and kogi state used to be together in the past? Well that's alright bring your papers let me attend to you."
The smile that grazed my face at that point I felt could lift a dying person. Oh my! I didn't have to join that crazy queue and He only checked my papers and didn't bother to check my bags. I smiled and thanked him as I walked into the gate. Yeah! Well if I was on the queue I'd have felt cheated and pissed but guess what? I wasn't on the queue. The trees were dry and cracky because of the dry and cold Harmattan season, the buildings were old and some building constructions were taking place. I was shivering but I still had to struggle to get a space in the hostel. This was quite easy because I already made friends with a certain girl who helped me to secure a bed then we got into the hostel together.
As we entered the hostel to get a bunk together..... Holy grail! There was noise, the place was mushy and dirty with the bunks not too far from each other and different languages spoken all at the same time from Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and something that sounds like everything put together. We got a bunk close to a socket so we could charge our phones but we discovered that it wasn't working after all the struggle. she stayed down and I stayed up, we started setting our mosquito nets and everyone was doing same and after about an hour when everyone was done, the hostel looked like we had ghosts in white over our heads with some of their arms looking like broken branches of a tree and some like a white kite in the wind.
The hostel constituted more of Yorubas and igbos and just a few hausas. Igbos were on one side of the room and Yorubas on another side of the room then hausas and other tribes were dispersed around the hostel. I and my friend Jumoke stayed directly opposite where the igbo girls were situated and though she was Yoruba she decided to stick with me not joining the other yoruba girls.
We went out to mami market (camp market) to get some things and to fill our empty stomachs. We got jollof rice but it tasted more like coloured rice so we left the food had our meat and drinks then we retired back to the hostel to sleep awaiting what comes the next day. As I closed my eyes I turned to look round the hostel and the consciousness that I'd be staying here for the next three weeks gripped me. I felt sad but I was more curious of things to come.
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From @bleen