NYSC exposed me to Nigeria’s diverse tribal nationalities at the three weeks boot camp in Taraba State. I had never been to the North of Nigeria, prior to my service year. I later redeployed to Osun state and did the rest of my 11 months mandatory service at the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Ile Awiye, Oke baale, Osogbo. There I was deployed to the Radio News and Current Affairs department of the media conglomerate, where I served from June 2019 – May 2020.
With a background in Mass Communication at the ND level and English and Literature Studies at the degree level, I served my country as a news reporter, and I love the job. Mastering the trade of news writing, gathering and sourcing wasn’t difficult for me as I took my time in learning from my intelligent bosses. I can vividly remember snapping their news script and studying them when I got home. In no time I could source, gather and write news report for the radio station. The management and staff of the media outlet which include the radio news that was headed (as at the time of writing this) by the Director of News and Current affairs, Mrs Abimbola Babatunde, the Editors, newscasters, and reporters were all generous to me and supported me. They made me understand that anything is possible with hard work, smart work and dedication. I can’t thank them enough.
In my capacity to learn, I also partially worked to acquire more knowledge at the ICT and TV arm of the media conglomerate. In fact, NYSC opened opportunities for me to learn and I learnt diligently, even when most of my colleagues felt putting in extra effort was a waste. I can truly say it wasn’t for me because it was a period of learning to work with people and above all, I learnt to be more patient with myself and the people I worked with.
I decided to share my story, because I believe NYSC is a great scheme and to youths, who are yet to serve, they should look forward to their service year and pray for the best.
With all that I have learned, I can conclude that NYSC isn’t a scam as erroneously believed in some quarters, rather it’s a platform for personal development and connection.
Lanre Akinbo, Osogbo
