HOW EMPTY PROMISES MADE MY SERVICE YEAR HARDER

            

As I entered the gate of NYSC orientation camp in Kusala Dam, Karaye, Kano, on the 27^th of March, 2019, I recalled my conversation with my brother, who had just concluded his national service a few weeks earlier, telling me how lucky I was to begin my national service at a time the Federal Government had agreed to an increase in minimum wage from ₦18,000 to ₦30,000. This translates to an increased Corper’s allowance to a little above ₦30,000. Most of our friends pegged the new allowance (allowee as Corper’s say) at ₦31,800. As I entered the camp, I was almost certain I would receive ₦31,800 monthly and I started making my budget with that amount in mind. I was that gullible. I know.

Imagine my shock when it was time to collect the first allowance in camp! I joined the queue expecting at least ₦30,000 and I was given ₦19,800. At that time, I was eating at mami market because I was so sure I would cover up the deficit with the extra ₦12,000 (i.e. new allowee of ₦31,800 from ₦19,800). I was so wrong. I however, consoled myself by telling myself that once we receive the next months’ allowance through our bank accounts, FG would make good on their promise. It was on that note that upon leaving camp, I went to the market and bought big gifts for my parents and siblings. The shock I received in April was devastating. The second month was skipped and we weren’t paid. At that moment, I was broke and I would have happily accepted the ₦19,800. I was that broke, having used up my last cash in anticipation of the reviewed allowee.

As I settled fully into the service year, it wasn’t easy. I was strapped of cash. I was eagerly waiting for the month of May to end. I was foolishly awaiting the ₦31,800. Well, to be honest, I was too broke to even care. I was okay with receiving any amount at that stage. My situation was that bad. As I saw the credit alert for the month of May, I was so elated. It was after the initial excitement had died down that I began to lament the fact that the allowee had remained the same. As the months went by, I began to be more realistic and managed my expectations. I still however, hoped that FG will make good on their promise to review the allowance.

As I spent more time in Kano, I understood that I needed to look out for myself to keep body and soul together. I took on extra jobs to augment my income. As the saying goes, no food for a lazy man. The economy was hard. I could no longer wait for the promised allowee as the longer it took, the less likely it became. At the moment, I am of the opinion that I may finish my national service before the new allowance is implemented, after all, that of the civil servants has not been implemented.

The hard economic situation and the current nature of the NYSC scheme are good arguments for the increment in corps members’ monthly allowance. It is left to the relevant stakeholders to do the needful. The empty promises and the media hype made my service year more difficult as I kept expecting the increased allowance month after month. I have since made my peace with it. I believe tough times never last but tough people do. This experience made me stronger and tougher.

I’ll say the increment of allowee cannot ultimately be referred to as a faux because eventually, the increased allowee will be paid. The question that remains is who will receive the new increased allowee? Will arrears be paid? These are the salient questions. It is looking like 2019 Batch A corps members would have been discharged from national service before the new allowee is implemented. The increment may be real on paper, but it is definitely faux at the moment to the serving corps members. We earnestly hope that the difficulties faced by corps members as a result of the hard living conditions in the country is considered and the new allowee is paid as soon as possible. If the government can increase the allowee further, that would definitely be welcomed.

EXTRAORDINARY YOU: AFTERTHOUGHTS

The final episode of my best currently airing kdrama aired two days ago. It’s safe to say that as I expected, the final episode was underwhelming, so many questions were left unanswered. Ultimately, it was a meaningful drama due to its ability to make me ponder on life in general.

In the drama, a writer overrules most of their choices, they live in the world of a comic book, almost existing completely at the mercy of an unknown writer of the comic book. In real life we have more autonomy but ultimately our fate is decided by our creator, and nothing happens without His knowledge. I found that analogy poignant. And that’s why Extraordinary You will go down as one of my top ten kdramas. If the ending had been satisfying, it would easily have been among my top five.

Every day I make choices, sometimes I wonder just how much responsibility to take, particularly for my bad choices. But upon deeper thought, I discover that whether the choices are right or wrong doesn’t matter, I am responsible no matter what. It scares me because I think I’m an evil person when I make wrong choices or decide to engage in sin. In my current reality, I am more bothered by the afterlife than the dunya. I just want a decent living so that I don’t end up begging for what to eat to survive. And this possibility scares me as I approach the end of my national service. And this is where faith comes in. I have absolute believe in the almighty that I will be looked after. And so part of the worry goes. I always try to be optimistic but at the same time I am realistic with my expectations so as to avoid disappointment.

The analogy of Extraordinary You to my life is in the fact that sometimes I feel helpless and tend to lose hope. It’s hard to find a drama that hits so close to home. I will try to take more control of my life as I go further. And I will remember Extraordinary You and Eun Dan-oh and Haru for a long time. I will make sure to apply the lessons I learnt. They may not have been religious but I still get to learn from them and practice my religion better.

Another analogy is that all the characters who became self-aware are like those who understand that the purpose of life is to worship Allah. Becoming self-aware is to realise that attaining paradise should be our ultimate goal in life. Without that, we would realise that or lives have been a waste as we draw our last. May Allah protect us from the ultimate regret.

May we be successful in this life and the next.

SHAYTAN IS FIGHTING US AND HE IS WINNING!

I always try to be optimistic about life but with the way the world is going today, we are fighting a losing battle against the devil and the devil is winning. And it’s all of us, me inclusive. I have my personal fight with the devil daily and I’m just trying to stay afloat as the devil is always fighting back.

What brought about this article is my encounter with a medical representative of a certain non-governmental organisation that deals in sexual liberation. I say sexual liberation because this NGO is in the business of making fornication easy and affordable. They sell and subsidise all the sexual objects ranging from condoms, day-after pills, different oral contraceptives (including the combined pill taken daily), aphrodisiacs and abortifacients. I wanted to cry. They are specialist in spreading zina in the world. I was completely dejected. With organisations like them, shaytan is already winning in his target of making zina glamorous.

I understand that married people can make use of such objects, but we can’t deceive ourselves into thinking that their target customers are the married people. These people preach sexual liberation and revolution and I am completely lost. I understand that we are fighting a losing war. And the next generation will even be hit harder. Our only solution remains in going back to the values taught by our religion. These are values that most people think are outdated nowadays. I will do my utmost best to increase my knowledge and practice of the deen. I don’t want a situation where I get the dunya and lose the akhirah. That would be the ultimate catastrophe.

I understand that most parents nowadays just concentrate on giving their children the best of western education and neglect Islamic education when it is Islamic education that can ultimately help the kids to live a fulfilling life and attain Jannah in the afterlife.

My example of the sexual liberation NGO is just one out of multitudes. Other such organisations exist and all of them try to spread fitnah in the earth. The only way to counter such is for us to be strong in our deen and live with the values taught by our deen. I try to live in this world doing my utmost best to survive according to my religion. I fall short sometimes but I believe what matters is the constant struggle to be in the right path. Allah will then aid our efforts by crowning it with success over shaytan and ultimate success is attaining paradise in sha Allah.

May Allah crown our efforts and struggles with success.