Dreams Beyond the Gutter( Escaping Tomorrow)

In the narrow, noisy alleys of Ajegunle, where the smell of open gutters mixed with frying akara and loud Afrobeat from cracked speakers, Tunde grew up dodging trouble like it was rain. At sixteen, most boys his age already had nicknames from the street—"Sharp Sharp", "Omo Iya Oloja", boys who ran errands for area boys, who smoked weed behind the abandoned mechanic shop, who flashed small wads of naira like they owned tomorrow. They called Tunde "Book Boy" at first to mock him, later with something close to respect, because he never joined them. Not once. His mother sold pure water and recharge cards under a torn umbrella near the bus stop. His father? Long gone before Tunde could remember his face. Every evening Mama would press twenty naira into his palm—"Buy bread, eat, read your book"—before turning back to customers. She never finished secondary school herself, but she believed university was the only ladder tall enough to climb out of this place. Tunde studied under the flickering yellow bulb in their one-room face-me-I-face-you apartment, mathematics textbooks spread on the wooden bench while children screamed outside and generators coughed diesel smoke through the window. When NEPA took light, he used the torchlight from an old Nokia, squinting until his eyes burned. The street tried hard to claim him. One humid night, his childhood friend Skido—now deep in Yahoo Yahoo—slapped a brand-new iPhone into Tunde's hand. "Just hold it for me, bro. One delivery, you chop 50k. No stress." Tunde stared at the phone like it was a snake. His heart pounded—not from greed, but fear. Fear that one "yes" would end every dream he'd protected so fiercely. He pushed the phone back. "I no fit, Skido. I wan go school." Skido laughed, but the laugh cracked at the edges. "School? You go write JAMB, pass, then wetin? Four years, still come back here sell recharge card like your mama? Wake up, guy." Tunde walked away, chest tight. That night he cried silently into his pillow so Mama wouldn't hear—hot, shameful tears because part of him wondered if Skido was right. But every morning he woke up and chose the same thing: the worn WAEC past questions, the dog-eared Chemistry textbook, the dream of walking through those big gates at University of Lagos, wearing a student ID that said he belonged somewhere bigger than these streets. Results day came like judgment. He stood in the long queue at the cyber café, palms sweating, heart slamming against his ribs. When the screen finally loaded, his knees nearly buckled. English – B3 Mathematics – A1 Physics – B2 Chemistry – B3 Biology – C4 Literature – C6 He had made it. The cutoff was close, painfully close—but he cleared it. He ran home through the muddy streets, tears blurring everything, shouting "Mama! Mama!!" like a small child again. She dropped the pure water sachet she was tying and caught him as he crashed into her arms. "My boy… my boy…" she whispered, rocking him while customers st

ared. For the first time in years, she cried openly in public—tears of pride, relief, and something deeper: the fear she'd carried alone that her only son might disappear into the same darkness that swallowed so many others. That evening, Tunde sat on the small veranda, JAMB result printout clutched in his hand like scripture. The street noise felt distant for once. He looked up at the sky turning orange and purple, and whispered to himself, "I did it. I really did it." But admission lists weren't out yet. Money for acceptance fees, accommodation, books—everything still felt like mountains he hadn't climbed. He closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of smoke, garri, and hope. To be continued...

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE THE 12 MONTHS NYSC YEAR

This may not be a rule book, but this could serve as a guide to help you utilize the 12 months of NYSC year maximally for your profit. 

Month 1 - NYSC Orientation Exercise

- Use this month to identify the purpose of the service year and the persons that can help you actualize your goals. Making friends with the NYSC officers is key. 

In my time, I had easy access to the NYSC state Secretariat, my ZI, LI and Schedule officers. This relationship was built in the camp where I served as Platoon leader. Most corps members make the mistake here of making friends with the soldiers. The soldiers may not be the best set of persons to offer you help here because apart from the Camp commandant and RSM, the others are rank and file officers. 

Month 2 - Report to your PPA.

- Volunteer to do beyond your schedule duty at your PPA. 

- If you have flare for the Academics, locate the Tertiary institution in LGA or nearby. Go there and volunteer to work in the Laboratory or help a Lecturer take his/her course. Lecturers and Technologists will always be happy to have you. 

- Get active with your CDS group.

- Start planning your Personal CDS project. 

- Find and Secure a secondary place of Assignment. You need that extra funds. 

Month 3 - Apply for your Personal CDS project.

You apply to the State Coordinator through your LI. Carrying out the simplest of project like sharing sanitary pads to female students is significant in the NYSC and the future. For the future, it counts for a significant community service. 

Month 4 - Skill Acquisition Month

- Start your skill acquisition proper.

- Learn skills that takes two to three months to perfect. 

- Most skill trainers give discount to corps members. 

- Do more of hard skills and little of soft skills. 

- In thr family house, you can do barter skills traning. That is, teach me what you know, I teach you mine. 

Month 5 - Continue Skill Acquisition. Start sorting for funds for your PCDS Project. 

- A bulk of your funds may go in here. don't mind. It will be worth it. 

- Reach you to your religious group, fellow corps members, rich relatives to aid with funds for your project. 

- You must have a ready proposal for this. 

- Use the NYSC fund request letter. This comes with your PCDS approval letter. 

Month 6 - Start a second Skill Acquisition training.

- You are now two months into your first skill. It is time to get into another one.

- This new skill should be Data Analytics (e get why)

- In Six weeks you should perfect the intermediate level proficiency. 

- This can be online. 

Month 7 - Teach Others the skills you gained and make savings from the pay. 

- Organize training for other corps members in the lodges and family houses. 

- Register your skill training with SAED at the NYSC trainer. 

- Become a SAED trainer. 

- Register your enterprise with CAC ( If you want to pursue biz)

- Apply for your transcript (If PG Abroad is your quest)

Month 8 - The Month of Applications

- Use the month to learn how to craft application Cover, CV (professional and Academic)

- Graduate School Docs

- Learn Internet Searching and Exploring skills. 

- Learn how to use Google

Month 9 - Application Month. Go for leadership position in your CDS

- Professionally and in the Academics, past Leadership positions is a plus to your CV. By month 9, you are now a Senior corp member, your batch should be the foremost batch, thus you are now ripe to contest for CDS president, Fellowship president, MSM etc. 

- Don't forget to keep applying and business your businessmanship skills

Month 10 - Conclude your PCDS Project

- Begin to evaluate your options. 

- If you followed the above schedule, there will be very many options by now. 

-Academics, Business, Employment etc should be at your doorsteps

- Seek advice from NYSC officers

Month 11 - Unwind and Look into the Future

- List your alternatives. Count your cost.

- Plan your next steps

- Draw the life's trajectory

- Time to connect and reconnect. 

Month 12 - Welcome to the New You

- Never go to service and come back the same. 

- Make sure something is added to your life and perspective

- Make sure you are seeing life from a new optics

#mosesudoisoh

Moses Udoisoh 

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