I served in 1998. While my fellow corpers were collecting โฆ200 monthly as government alawee, I was earning โฆ12,000 a month!
But before you celebrate my good fortune, let me tell you something.
I was once the hungry corper other people had to feed.
Here is my story. โค๏ธ๐๐ฟ
After NYSC camp, I was rejected at my place of primary assignment.
I eventually found an office where the MD told me plainly:
โI don't have money to pay a corper.โ
Something within me said, โWork for her anyway.โ
So I stayed.
One day, I accompanied her to a marketing event at Oba during the Pope's visit to Nigeria in March, 1998. There, I met Mr Charles Iloegbunam of Cowbell and introduced myself as an artist.
Meanwhile, a senior corper named Lanre had given me somewhere to stay opposite Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Onitsha.
Every evening, we gathered at the school to gist.
One evening, a senior corper began teaching us the secrets of surviving on โฆ200.
โDon't eat fish. Don't eat meat. If you need protein, buy crayfish!โ
Everyone listened attentively.
Then I interrupted.
โMy own corper will eat fish, eat meat, buy a colour television, buy a video player and live in a flat!โ
The whole place erupted in laughter! ๐๐
โSee this one! You don't even have a place of primary assignment, and you're dreaming of television!โ
But I stood my ground.
Then something extraordinary happened.
One day, my madam sent me to a motherless babies' home in Onitsha.
As the children gathered around me, I felt a strong prompting within:
โGive them all the money on you. Before the end of today, I will make you the richest corper.โ
I checked my pocket.
โฆ130!
That was practically everything I had.
Me? The same hungry corper people were feeding?
Nevertheless, I gave the money.
At about 4 p.m. that same day, Mr Charles Iloegbunam walked into our office.
โWhere is Nduka? You're going to Lagos tomorrow. There's a job for you at Cowbell. See me in the morning for your transport fare.โ
He gave me โฆ3,000!
By May 1998, I resumed at Wonderfoods, now Promasidor, earning a full salary of โฆ12,000 monthly.
From a hungry, homeless corper to earning 60 TIMES the government alawee!
Interestingly, I never collected a dime of my federal allowance.
The NYSC State Director even challenged me:
โEven if you are Abacha's son, why wouldn't you collect your alawee?โ
But the most beautiful part of this story is not the โฆ12,000.
It is what happened afterwards.
Two wonderful men, Nathaniel Iwomi and Tom Amidu, had given me food and shelter when I was hungry and homeless.
I never forgot their kindness.
When my situation changed, I decided that other corpers would not go hungry around me.
At the DMGS corpers' lodge, I began providing about 80% of the food we cooked and all the milk we drank, so other corpers could come and eat.
The corper who once depended on others for food had become the one feeding others. โค๏ธ
That experience taught me something I have carried throughout my life:
Never allow your present hunger to put a ceiling on your future.
Your present condition is not your final destination.
And when God changes your story, don't forget those who stood by you when you had nothing.
Success is beautiful. But success that lifts others is even more beautiful.
That was my NYSC experience in 1998.
What year did you serve, and how much was your alawee? โค๏ธ๐๐ฟ
๐จ ๐ก๐๐ช: Real Madrid TV: "Lamine Yamal pushes Bernal and headbutts him. Then he pretends to be hurt, causing the Real Betis player to be sent off."
"But if Vinรญcius is provoked and pushes an opponent, it's a RED CARD."
Look how Algerians stormed Nigeria for their team clash against Rangers.
We are j0kers as lovers of football in Nigeria ๐คฃ๐ญ https://t.co/zPMogCjK40
๐จ| An X user predicted ๐๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผ that Diogo Gomez would score from the halfway line, and it actually happened. ๐คฏ๐ฒโฝ
Yoruba has become a widely embraced indigenous language in Nigerian filmmaking, and the growth is remarkable. At this rate, Yoruba cinema is setting its sights on the global stage, with Hollywood as a long term inspiration. ๐ฅ๐ฌ
Mehn, what did I just watch? This gave me goosebumps! ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฌ