The Quest

"What are your plans?" I inquired as she maintained her smile. She leaned very close and whispered something into my ear... Something I was confident would work... It all worked out.

Wangu and I exited the restaurant, and I went to the hostel to freshen up before the biggle for morning classes began. When I returned, the ugly one was looking through the contents of his locker.

As I sat on the bed down bunk, he dashed over to me. He was expecting a run down of events because he knew I went to Ms Enoh's. I told him everything, ignoring the first embarrassment of my c.o.ming too soon.

We men enjoy bragging about our exploits but rarely reveal our blunders. When I concluded the story, he applauded. He was impressed as he listened intently as I concluded the story with this morning excursion.

“Bravo!” He yelled as I stepped outside to take a bath. When I came back, the ugly one was putting papers on his bed. He seems serious and meticulous about it. I suited up and inquired as to the purpose of the papers.

"My medical records." He responded. "You mean the ones you use to avoid the morning parade?" I asked casually, then turned around to look at his face when he didn't respond. "They are not forgeries." He muttered.

"They are genuine." I drew in close to examine the papers. It bore the letterhead of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, as well as several smaller connected papers displaying test findings and other information.

"So, what medical problem do you have?" Surprised by this new twist, I inquired. I recall him telling me these were bogus papers he needed to avoid the procession.

"I'm a sickler with asthma." He stated quitely. I was shocked. With his huge head and tiny neck, I knew he looked sick and fragile, but I had no idea he was a sickler.

With those medical issues, how does he manage to drink and smoke so heavily? We talked for a while. He showed me his medications, which included a balm, mint, and other oral drugs.

"I'm going to submit the paperwork to the office; it will help with my redeployment." He stated. "Are you returning to Imo state?" I inquired.  definitely," he says.

The only pleasure in Nysc is this three-week camping trip. Following the camp, your primary duty will be stressful and will undoubtedly leave a bad taste in your mouth." He stated.

"It can't possibly be that horrible!" I felt compelled to object. "It is! You will be sent somewhere and asked to adjust and begin working right away. Stipends will be paid, but not enough to buy a bottle of Remi Martins.

Worst of all, some of the ppa's refuse to accommodate. You will be compelled to squat in a hostel with other corpers or pay for lodging."

Wow! I had never considered the location of primary assignment, which will take up the majority of the year. I couldn't envision being sent to one of Kogi's rural or remote villages.

I occasionally hear jokes about interior areas like ogori/mongogo and other places when at camp. "A year in the bush!" I'm returning to imo.

Few oil corporations are drilling for oil on egbema property. With my father's connections, I'm confident I'll be working in one of them." He informed me of this.

He obviously had everything figured out already. He must have planned it before arriving at camp. He was going to request for redeployment due to health reasons, and he had all of his paperwork ready.

I sat back for a while to plan forward. I was so caught up in the enthusiasm of camp that I forgot it was only three weeks until the bulk of the service activity was due to begin.

Ms Enoh had previously stated that I would most likely be assigned to a secondary school to teach. How will I get through a full year of secondary school in a village?

I decided to make some inquiries regarding the finest places to complete your ppa at kogi. Then I'd ask Ms Enoh to assist me in planning my deployment to that location.

If she can't, she'll always have links on how to accomplish it. Mrs. Okhi, her officemate, was also in charge of deployments. So I was going to figure things out one way or another.

"What are you planning?" The ugly one's voice brought me back to reality. "Not much, just the chance of getting a nice ppa." "Redeploy to another location right immediately."

Except for secondary schools and ministries, there is nothing in kogi. You're an engineer, and you don't need to waste a year doing office work or teaching arithmetic to some block heads." He said this while smiling.

It was a long shot, and I had no redeployment paperwork, so it was clearly an impossible undertaking. I decided to inquire around to find out where I might work my ppa.

On my approach to Mami market, I noticed the Winners Corpers' Fellowship Tent behind the temporary restrooms. Previous batch corpers were brought to camp to advise corpers on what to do.

I went to the ninth floor to seek counsel. There were a lot of them when I arrived that morning. They greeted me with outstretched arms, as if they had been awaiting me all day.

They were friendly and welcoming. They all focused on me as I explained the minor problem I was having. I needed a suitable site for my PPA and someone to help me work it.

I wanted to hear from them, their PPAs, local governments, how much they are paid, what the environment is like, how pricey things are, how nice the people are, and, most importantly, how wonderful the females are, though I didn't ask about the last one.

It was God's house, and I'd learned my lesson about talking trash in God's house. "

I work at an Ogori/Mangogo secondary school.

It's a suburb, the people are nice, and the schools pay N5,000, which is nearly the highest in Kogi." Said the man who introduced himself as Ayodele.

"You'll get to drink a lot of palm wine and eat a lot of bush meat." He finished, and they all laughed. "I am a member of the Kabba Local Government Council." There is no labor to be done; we simply sign attendance and return to the corpers lodge every morning.

It's a little monotonous, and I'm still looking for ways to supplement and keep myself busy." The second man stated. I didn't need to inquire how much they paid him.

"I can't picture sitting around for a full year!"

My PPa is located in Ibaji Local Government, where you have to cross the water from Idah to the Local Government, and the boat only comes once a week, on Tuesday market day.

If you miss that ferry, you must wait a week for the following market day." Jesus Christ!!! I continued to pay close attention. "I'm serving in the Yegba East Local Government at Ejuku," a lady seated next to me explained.

"The average monthly salary in most local governments in Kogi is N1,000." My local government pays it as a lump payment at the end of your stay, which is $11,000 when you leave.

Only villages like ogori mangongo pay better." God, please send me some good news. "What about the state capital, Lokoja?" I had to inquire after sitting through the long depressing conversations.

They exchanged glances for a while, as if they were discussing something I wasn't allowed to hear. Finally, Ayodele broke down. "Never work your service to Lokoja." Others nodded in agreement.

"What is the matter with Lokoja?" I had to inquire. "Extreme weather; the heat in Lokoja lasts all year." Lokoja's electricity supply is appalling! Power is available in towns other than Lokoja.

There is wahala accommodation, but rooms are very expensive and most ppa's do not provide it. There is also a restricted number of primary assignment positions."

Wow! "However, there are opportunities to earn extra money in Lokoja, such as private lessons, exam runs, computer lessons, and so on." As I listened to their helpful advise, I nodded my head.

"My ppa is located at the municipal government of Ofu." A suburb with a connection to the east. Asaya is 5 hours away from Ofu. I must warn you that Kogi is not friendly.

If you are assigned to the kogi east regions, which include ofu, igalamela/odolu, idah, ibaji, ankpa, dekina, bassa, and olamboro, please do not chase their women!" They all chuckled as one of them stated it.

I thought it was a joke, but he kept going. "The igala people do not play with their ladies; if you sleep with their ladies, they will kill or injure you." So go there and serve your fatherland." He said in conclusion.

That's all! I've had my fill! What kind of tribe will punish you for sleeping with their ladies? At the very least, I've learned that if I'm going to undergo a year of ppa in Kogi state, I must not be assigned to the Kogi East areas.

You can't deny a man money while also denying him girls!!! Never! The biggle for lectures had been blown, so I proceeded to the lecture hall.

Oge noticed me and approached me. "What have you been doing?" I inquired of her. " hide kwa?" I truly avoid lectures. But it appears that the military men have discovered our secret, and they are being severe with us at the female hostel."

"How is everything going?" She inquired, and I informed her of my rigorous schedule as a platoon leader. "Well, we can always go to our hideout and rest whenever we want," she added, smiling.

"Yeah," I said without hesitation. It's been days since I kissed her in the restaurant. I didn't want any issues after I had already made out with the restaurant attendant.

However, Oge was dead serious. "What about tonight?" She inquired. This evening! I was already making plans with Wangu. She had told me that morning that she had discovered a packing store at one of the registration offices where we might stay and make out.

She was certain the location was remote and secure. She claims that officials use it as an office during the day and lock it at night.

However, one of the officials sent her there on an errand one evening after work, and the official only instructed her to pull the padlock to open it.

Because the padlock was damaged, they simply locked it and pulled it open with a slight force in the morning when they arrived at work.

I didn't have an excuse to provide to Oge, and I couldn't think of any at the time, so I agreed to meet her later.

Previously, I would make up an excuse and contact her to cancel the date. I was looking forward to my appointment with Wangu; it was going to be a long day, but the prospect of the events that awaited me for the night warmed my heart... It was well worth it.

The day's seminar was interesting. The HIV/AIDS awareness organization came to give a presentation and to welcome new members. They kept us engaged with amusing dramas performed by elder corp members.

They taught us about HIV/AIDS prevention and other sexually transmitted diseases. They played a game of condoms for the men and tampoons for the ladies.

It was amusing when the guy chosen to represent the guys was requested to wear a condom in front of us all. He, of course, declined! Then they handed him a plastic model of a d'kk and told him to practice with it.

He did it nicely, at least in our opinion. However, the moderator pointed to several of his mistakes: "Never shred a condom with your teeth! You risk damaging the latex."

"Always grip the tip of the condom, never the base." If you do, you may rub off the lubricant." "On a limp d'kk, never wear a condom." And so on and so forth...

When it came time for the female tampoon display, the crowd waited patiently while the female corp member was requested to UnCloth and wear the tampoon.

The female corp member naturally refused, and the moderator showed it vocally once more: "Before and after inserting a tampon, always make sure your hands are really clean and have just been cleaned."

It's also a good idea to get to know your own body because it's easier to insert a tampon when you know where it's going.

So, find a comfortable position, perhaps by standing with one foot on the edge of the bath or the toilet, and take a peek in the mirror.

You have to locate your labia (the lips or folds of skin that cover the entrance to your v.a.gi.na) and gently spread it open with your fingertips to locate the entrance to your vagina. This is where the tampon is placed.

We were enthralled as she showed with her fingertips. "Prove it to us!" Everyone laughed when someone screamed from the audience. She continued her tampon-fixing sermon.

"Slant the tampon towards your lower back and push it into your vagina as far as it will go with your index finger." Just keep the tampon at an angle and don't try to push it straight.

This will assist in making things as simple and comfortable as feasible. The string should also be kept outside your body so that you may simply remove the tampon later. If you've placed it correctly, you shouldn't be able to feel the tampon...

She invited corpers who wanted to join the HIV awareness group and continue it throughout their CDs to do so. Many people indicated.

I already had a lot on my plate, but it was clear that everyone was joining one of the groups, so I included my name. Who knows, maybe I'll meet additional girls during the meetings.

Because everything was going to be 'raw,' actions might follow the words. Following that, everyone who cared received free condoms. I watched as people fought for the free condoms that were flying around.

Even the girls were cramming condoms into their waist packs. After the lecture, I went back to the hostel. After some rest, I called Ms Enoh and told her I needed to see her.

"Mrs. Okhi is nearby." She informed me of this. "No worries. I'm coming over since I need her help with my ppa." When I arrived at Ms Enoh's office, Mrs. Okhi was busy as usual filling out paperwork and entering them into her desktop computer.

She acknowledged my greeting and resumed her job. I sat alongside Ms Enoh, who was also busy filling out forms. I told her about what was bothering me. She gave me a friendly grin and inquired where I wanted to serve.