SERVING MY FATHERLAND My NYSC Camp Experience) By JOHN BEMSHIMA BENEDICT

SERVING MY FATHERLAND

My NYSC Camp Experience)

By JOHN BEMSHIMA BENEDICT

“Life is a voyage. It is about the experience and not just the destination; it is packed with challenges, discoveries, and growth.”

The book “Serving my Fatherland” by John Bemshima Benedict is a real story of a young graduate from Benue State who was posted to Edo State for his NYSC service year.

He talks about his first journey experience to the Southern part of the country. Traveling to a strange land where he knew nobody and had no friend or relative, he spent his first night in a strange hotel at Oluku before taking off to the NYS Orientation camp at Okada town in Edo State the next morning. Everything became scarier when he met new people and new faces, but the presence of the soldiers and high morale gave him confidence, and he dreamed of becoming like one. He later came across Victor and Philomena, whom he had attended the same university with. Victor was his secondary school classmate, while Philo was his university crush and course mate, and she was also the villain of his love story. The encounter in camp was breathtaking as he found himselfand Philo in the same platoon.

While in camp, he met Chisom, who was nicknamed Shantel, who became his perfect friend and good company; he discovered the true meaning of friendship and also fell in love with the camp activities ranging from drills and parade, Man’ O War activities, sports, SAED, and most of all, the sound of the bugle and the meals he never missed. The setting is in NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Okada, Ovia North East LGA of Edo State. This book is a masterpiece, filled with memories, laughter, love, and friendship that will keep you captivated whether you are travelling, at work, in the office, at the hospital, in school, or even at the market.

I highly recommend it to our leaders and politicians, graduates, university students, former corps members, and anyone preparing to serve their fatherland.

For those who have completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYS) programme, this book will rekindle cherished memories and remind them of the experiences that shaped their service year. For prospective corps members, it offers a vivid insight into the journey ahead, capturing the excitement, challenges,

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John Bemshima Benedict graduated from the prestigious Benue State University, Makurdi, where he bagged a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science. He was among the best graduating students of his department.

He attended Mount La Salle

ISBN 978-978-63533-7-1

College, Naka, where he did his secondary education. He is a prolific writer whose enthusiasm has prompted his zeal for poetic works,

novels, and dramatic plays. His other works include:

“My Love Story,” “Why I Married Naomi,” and several poems to his name.