NYSC Obubra Cross River Camp -By Muhammed Bello Umar

The journey all started on the 16 April 2024 around 6pm from hotoro karota park as the movement begin we stopped at gade gade fuel station to fuel our car, moving down to garin Abba Zaria, kaduna state our fan belt split into two it took us a long while before it was fixed, around 1am we reached television garage kaduna and topped up passengers to continue the journey.

The journey was hectic as the journey was slow but slow and steady wins the race, in okene LGA kogi our car parked we observed fajr prayer while others passengers plugged mango to eat as breakfast, a fifty meters move was made and we met military check point where one of the passengers threw out mango seed through the window and the military ordered a parking and do a market clean up for the single mango seed thrown out, but due to some personnel we were freed and our journey proceeds.

Youths continue teasing the man who three the mango seed out, and became story of the day, while others where minding their business no long talks.

Second phase ll

On reaching Onitsha I observed my zuhr and asr prayer together due to time factor, we trekked from the park for five hundred meter before we get to the park where I boarded for abakaliki, we struggled with the agberos as it almost became an argument ground between me and them, but still wl I boarded as time is not on my side cause it is already 5:02pm and another hectic journey awaits me, they give no room for questions as people always say a Johny just come face a lot of different kind of nonchalant attitude, all of a sudden tax force came and ordered for quick move before anything nasty occur. So they tied rope to the boot and started loading after a lot of charges they still want us to pay for our loads, but we all turned deaf ear. They loaded with horrible faces cause of attack from the tax force, they were charged five thousand before movement.

At around 5:11 pm pressure is high for passengers to come on board for the journey to kick start, by 5:16 pm the journey started all of a sudden we stopped to settle tax force men.

All of a sudden ranchor from the back disrupted the air that money for load should be paid after spending about twenty three minutes the journey to Abakaliki began, both driver and some passengers were angry, reaching Anambra am left with a thousand naira as I bought my bucket, bailer, SpongeBox and key to lock my bag what is left now is mosquito repellent or net, and our journey is proceeding real good, with views of nature all over.

Around 7:31 pm we almost had an accident in Enugu as the other vehicle left his lane to one way, but alhamdulillah nothing happened. The screeching sound made most ladies in the vehicle shouted Jesus before realizing what happened. On reaching Enugu an exchange of vehicle was done

Finally we reached Abakaliki with beautiful views I was tired even exhausted cause it was already 11:21 pm I slept in Abakaliki cause I meet someone who knows the value of human life that advice me not to proceed took me to his house I ate and slept at 5:41 am I woke tooky bath and came back to his housez we exchange pleasantries with his wife and he went to bring bike, then back to the junction for the completion of the journey to Obubra camp cross River.

Phase lll

We kick start the journey by 6:51 am to cross River obubra permanent orientation camp as I met my camp mates, going through abonmegye.

We reached ugep with the largest land mark in Africa with coordinates of 5°48′N 8°05′E, and the driver give us brief story about how the place is been feared as where they feed on human flesh, people from other places because of that doesn’t like to go to cross River, as we continue our journey to Obubra camp with 30km remaining.

Welcome to Obubra gave me a relief as the journey to camp is really nice no hitches as slow and steady wins the race. A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step, at the nysc orientation camp they search my bag, after that we went to a tent and was given soft drink, then to my hostel where we were given bed space, that was how I proceed to registration, I was cleared then queue for registration. After I registered I proceed for my state code after which I went for documentation and was given my NYSC kit and retired back to my hostel, took my bath dressed up in my white and fully certified Otondo as we are called, alhamdulillah fa’inna ma’al usri yusrah.

Muhammed Bello Umar
princemub28@gmail.com