By Bilyamin Abdulmumin
For my insight about this topic, check the previous article. The present discussion wishes to share a little bit of my experience.
At the time of deployment, no one sees an exhilarating experience forthcoming for the service. In fact, what we perceived as being headed to our local government of posting was hell.
After the 3 weeks orientation camps in Gombe state where I served, we were made to spread outside one block, waiting with bated breath for PPA letters. The reason for the contention is because there are few local governments everyone wishes to be posted for a perceived competitive advantage, the capital city in particular, so as to serve in high-paying places like Ashaka. Other preferred posting areas discussed were local governments where there are Fulani beautiful ladies. Unfortunately, I was posted to Shangom local government which by all the standards was outside the pecking order.
I took the posting in between good and bad faith and turned to transient buses waiting for us. There was a liaison officer (LO) of each local government on top of his voice to identify with his Corpers. About 15 of us boarded the bus, as it departed hardly anyone was talking to one another, the LO appeared to be the only person in a good mood, he would begin his sermon-like conversation telling us how we are going to enjoy the LGA which was looking forever to reach. Barely we get to the destination; before the start of the welcome ceremony, writing was all over the wall that a radical readjustment is necessary, the hopeless loom large, the less tough youth (female) among us breakdown
crying while men me, in particular, kept it within myself. This traumatic experience would soon trigger the relocation processes to continue at an unprecedented rate or invoke planning ideas of serving in absentia either by showing up just during the monthly clearance or to abdicate completely with impunity.
However, as fate would have it they turned down my relocation application. Then, surprisingly, with the clock ticking into the scheme, my view about the posting keeps improving. Shangom neighbors Kaltingo where there is a market bursting with commercial activities, so this cleared part of my perceptions about the service area, where I thought to be locked up in an area where even business centre is hard to get, as portrayed by the local government; how wrong was I because I end up buying my first android phone in Kaltingo market. In another aspect, as our predecessors, Bach C corp members begin to leave (I am bach A), at a time I have had three rooms to choose from. I had never imagined that.
Finally, I was made a secretary-general for MSSN Kaltingo zone where we converge monthly at the zonal head to discuss achievement and plans. Through this post, I got unlimited access to influential people in the zone such as the emir of Kaltingo, and the most interesting part about it is the open-mindedness we are always receive
with and after each meeting, lifetime advice would follow.
Looking back at the time of our arrival as new Corpers, it was a complete departure from my thoughts about the posting.
I said it in the previous article, and will say it again now:
Dear prospective Corps members, desist the idea of seeking relocation or service in absentia for what you come to see on arrival is not the complete picture of the posting. Give enough time for your posting and everything will fall into the right places.
