Pimoey Oshodi's Blog

Black is the colour That ushers us into the New Year Such an air of the earth’s odour Like inhaling a rotten pear That bursts open to reveal its colour! Isn’t it black from its stare? Fruits no longer fall without a farce And never again a favour. We ask ourselves what really is our fear When people go hungry without food for their neighbour. We ask ourselves what we care About the price decrement of our labour. Salary no longer puts food on the table, And constant is the tear Of the ones who walk by day and night with little or nothing to harbour. One voice says we rather stay aloof of the demur To better endure the sear. Black is the colour No human change to dare Perhaps with hope of bleaching its colour May resuscitate such dearth in the sphere Black I no longer fancy as beauty’s colour But more of evil, pain and sear It can only take a Caro pore To bring us to a dreamy swear.

Teaching??? No way! Why have I been posted to a school for God’s sake?  I mean, I should have been posted to a radio or television station where I could be relevant. What will a Mass Communications graduate like me do in a school? These were my thoughts as I collected my  NYSC  posting letter. Not only was I posted to a school, it was in a rural area – the village of Okuta in  Kwara State , far away from the hustle and bustle of  Lagos  − where I would be an English teacher. I got to my orientation camp in early March 2012. The experience was amazing: although lights-out was at 10pm I would switch on my little torch and fill my diary with the day’s activities, from making new friends to planning escape routes to avoid the parade ground. At the end of the orientation camp, it was hard to say goodbye because we were all posted to different places for our primary assignment: some (like me) to the rural parts of Kwara, others to its capital, Ilorin. The ...

The cultural heritage of Nigeria is rich in mythology in the form of tales, fables, and folklore. This mythology often governs the laws of communities and informs how their members and any visitors must behave. As a ‘Kopa’ one needs to be aware of the rules and taboos guarding any society you find yourself in, as well as immerse yourself in the legends of a new place. During my NYSC year, a discussion of myths started during a mountaineering expedition at the Okuta Hills in Kwara State . I had a group of ‘Kopa’ friends who loved adventures. All four of us (two guys and two girls) dressed smartly one evening and wore our jungle boots to protect us from any reptiles. Jungle boots: the ever-ready Kopa’s staple We climbed up the path, but before we got to the mountain summit, we girls got tired. Luckily, the guys were kind and offered to carry us. The first couple moved quickly ahead while the second (of which I was a member) was behind. We began to compete with the first coupl...

“If Kopa marry Kopa they go born worwhor!”  is a common cliché among Kopas. Although this suggests that Kopas getting married to one another is seen as disgusting, there are plenty of matrimonial cases among them – perhaps because of the rumour that the federal government gives N500,000 to those who get married during their service year, or because of love. Even if they don’t end up marrying, many Kopas do date their fellow service members. But why do Kopas get into relationships with one another? Is it for the fun of it, the fund in it, or the future in it? One year is indeed a long time for Kopas not to mingle with one another. Kopas tend to come into their service year with a fresh attitude regardless of their prior relationships, wealth and academic performances, and easily socialise with people from different backgrounds. While female Kopas tend to exercise caution for fear of being tagged as ‘easy,’ the male Kopa usually seizes any available chance they can get with ...

I was privileged to have been born in the late ‘80s and to have grown up during the ‘90s. At the time, there were several local Nigerian television stations springing up with such as  LTV ,  Channels ,  DBN , and  AIT . Most parents, including mine, thought it was a good idea to allow their children to watch TV programmes. TV was a means of learning and acquiring skills for self-development. Viewers of all ages could watch television programmes together, whether cartoons, soaps, educative programmes, music videos or movies. I loved watching the cartoon versions of my favourite storybooks such as  Aladdin and the Forty Thieves , The   Hunchback of Notre Dame ,  The Muppet Babies  and  Peter Pan . When I came back from school, I was eager to finish my homework before 4pm so that I could settle down in the living room with my older brothers to watch TV. I’m quite sure that the cartoons helped fine-tune my accent (don’t get me wrong ...

“No corps member is allowed to travel. You are all expected to remain in your Places of Primary Assignment (PPA). If you are caught then you will be reprimanded. You will either be given an extension of your service year, or on the day of your passing out your certificate would be withheld . ” Those were the threatening words our Zonal and Local Inspectors gave us. But nobody wanted to remain in their PPAs for a whole year, as it would be rather boring. Don’t get me wrong, we were getting first-class treatment from the indigenes. Students returning from the farm at weekends would always drop by and give us gifts such as yams, sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane, mangoes, and tomatoes, depending on which crop was in season. After school, some of these students would offer to pound yam for us and help us roast cashew nuts. They were like our younger siblings, and we spoilt them often because they were willing to do anything for us. We Kopas felt that Zonal Inspectors (ZI) could be an...

Most Kopas – both male and female – who served in rural areas are completely rugged and active as during the service year they were always on the run looking for ways to make ends meet. Whether teaching extra hours in schools or at people’s houses, working at computer centres, or selling various items in a bid to survive the hardship in the country, their entrepreneurial spirit is strong. This was the case with Kopa Deola and me: as corps members in the Baruten LGA of  Kwara State , we were highly recognised in the community for the commodities we sold. Kopa Deola and I were just friends, although we were often mistaken for sisters. We did virtually everything together; we talked about everything and anything – we were like Pumbaa and Timon in  The Lion King  – we stood by one another. But beyond our friendship, we were both marketers and every evening except for Sundays, we carried our wares to the heart of the township and often sold out. We would usually first hold ...