As a young girl from Ubulu-Unor town in Delta state located in the South south region of Nigeria, who is in her in her twenties, I always looked forward to my youth service days. the adventurous one-year obligatory service to my country. Shortly after graduating from the prestigious University of Benin, with a degree in Biochemistry, I was posted by the National youth Service Corps, NYSC to have my youth service in Lagos state which is located in the Western part of Nigeria.
Anioma where I come from is dominated by the Igbo tribe who speak the Enuani dialect with a beautiful and interesting culture and tradition. Starting with the new year festival which we call ’Aso Ofu’ to celebrate the beginning of the year, followed by the ’Iwaji’ festival (meaning new yam festival) which is to celebrate the fruitful harvest throughout the year then we have the Ine festival. Our women wear the native woven cloth called akwa ocha (white cloth) during the festivals while the men tie the Ibe ato material. Our people are business minded and accommodating. Our local foods include ofe apapa (meaning groundnut soup), ofe nsala (white pepper soup), ukpo ogede (meaning plantain pudding).
Lagos state on the other hand is located in the South-western part of Nigeria. Eko (Modern land) as it is also called has a large population and comprises of people from different states but is dominated by the Yoruba tribe which comprises of these local tribe; Isale Eko, the Aworis and the Egun tribe. Their culture varies from that of the Anioma people where I come from. Ranging from their mode of greeting, Ekabo (means welcome), ekaro (means good morning) etc to their very sumptuous amala and ewedu soup, ewa agoin meals and their language.
Badagry local government where I had my youth service program is predominantly occupied by the Egun tribe. Badagry is filled with a lot if tourists center and holds the history of slave trade in Nigeria because it was a point of exchange for the slave traders, our colonial masters. On one very special occasion, my fellow corps member and I paid a visit to the SLAVE ROUTE a tourist center also know as the Point of no return where slaves were traded. We were opportuned to see the several stop points, the chains used to bind the slaves and the well in which some of the slaves were drowned. We also saw the Point of exchange where the slaves were given out to their buyers. It was indeed a memorable adventure, filled with lessons and it awakened who I am as an Anioma girl.
As a corp member, I worked as a science tutor in a community school owned by an orphanage home. I was privileged to experience the daily life and activities of orphans and the less privileged children. The orphanage home which was my place of primary assignment, Wil-Wil Orphanage home, is a registered orphanage with the federal and state government. My love and care for children and humanity as a whole increased daily as my service year went by. On May 27th 2023, children’s day, other corp members and I accompanied the children and teachers on an excursion to the first story building in Nigeria which is also located in Badagry. The children were excited and asked questions. We also visited the Badagry museum, there were artworks, sculpted images and portraits of past heroes, etc.
The people of Badagry are cheerful and respectful people. Whenever a fellow corp member and I were going for our community development service, dressed in our uniforms, the market women always chanted ‘corper shun’ and we would all laugh over it. On some other occasions, public transporters offered us free rides as a kind gesture just like they did to military officers and we would always appreciate them.
Through positive attitude to community development service, CDS, a major aspect of the youth service which is aimed at fostering unity amongst corp members and the community they find themselves. I became a member of the Badagry Chamber of Commerce, industry, Mines and Agriculture, BACCIMA. In our subsequent series, we will look at my experiences at the chamber of commerce, rural medical outreaches with a few non-governmental organizations that I volunteered with and history of some of the traditions of the Badagry people.
However the language and cultural differences between the Anioma people of Delta state where I come from, there are similarities in their enterprising abilities. The Aniomas are business-oriented people with the history of trade as their major venture. Lagos is the largest commercial city in Nigeria, and Badagry is a major international trade route and a border area that facilitates local and international trade and transportation between Nigeria and international communities in West Africa. Communities like; The Republic of Benin, (Cotonou), Togo, Ghana etc, these countries are Francophone (French speaking) countries which makes French a spoken language in Badagry. The very receptive and accommodating nature of the Anioma people in Delta state and the Egun people in Badagry, Lagos state makes people from all over the country to settle there, build a life and thrive in their day-to-day activities.
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