Service year.
671 Words
4.
I was to travel to the north by air, and had booked a flight with one of the local airlines. At exactly 2pm on a Sunday afternoon, I arrived at the Murtala Muhammed international airport Lagos also accompanied by my mom for my flight scheduled to take-off by 4pm. When the time of departure came, my mom bade me farewell. After one hour on air, we arrived at the local airport in Benue Where a team was on ground to receive me on arrival. I was driven to the apartment where I would be staying. A quick tour of my new environment was given to me since I was new in town. On Monday morning, I began my service to the country at the Benue ministry of information and culture. News soon reached us that a group of herdsmen were raiding a small village in the state, as villages were a major component of the state. I quickly went there to make enquiries about the event, and I also filed my report to the secretary to the commissioner of information.
For sometime now, a group of terrorists known as the Boko Haram were causing turmoil in the embattled northern Nigeria, I was so displeased with their acts as their activities ranged from k********g to suicide bombing. They also performed frequent raids on villages in northern . Despite the efforts by the government of the country to put things in order, they somehow maintained dominance of some part of the north, and were the cause of constant unrest in the north. I wished something could be done so the people of this region could experience peace.
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) organized by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) was set to take place in various countries in West Africa. Due to level of insecurity in the area a lot of teachers got relocated to other parts of the country, leaving very few teachers behind. Citing that the ratio of teacher to students in the school was very small, the state government pleaded for more teachers. My colleagues and I offered to help in the teaching, and so we were all posted to a school in a small village. Since our field of study varied we were determined to put in our best. I offered to help teach English language and history as I was well knowledgeable in those areas.
Raymond was one of my colleagues and was chosen as the leader of our team, reason being that he was loquacious and had a good command for English. The villagers were very pleased with our efforts. Although they appeared sordid, they were very hospitable and friendly. Our stay in the village was very peaceful as we had a constant supply of farm produce. At night, we would all gather under a raffia palm tree to share moonlight stories. The community also lacked some basic infrastructural facilities, as the government seemed apathetic towards their plight. In order to improve the standard of living in the community, my colleagues and I employed our resources to make the community better. We contributed huge sums of money in order to help construct pipe borne water for them. At the launch of the water project, the village chief was overwhelmed with joy, and appreciated our efforts in the community and thanked us. We also assisted in buying educational items to aid the students who were to write exams. It then dawned on me that it pays to serve one’s fatherland. The exams were over, and the results came in. The results of that year was by far better than it had been over the years. In recognition of our heroic service, the state governor wrote a letter of thanks to us, as I was so happy to see my efforts yield positive results. Our one year of service was over, and we were to return home. We exchanged pleasantries and soon left for our various homes, after being away for over a year.
- Writer
