Sundays are less busy days in the camp. Christians go to church in the morning. After church service, time for lunch (2pm). From lunch to evening parade. Most of the activities in the camp take place on the parade ground.
I sent my khaki trousers to a tailor to adjust it for me. The one I got was big on me. He told me to come for it the day after. That’s after I went back in the evening to collect it.
To cut the long story short, the tailor lost my NYSC Khaki trousers. I didn’t want to believe it at first when I went there in the morning. It was when I went back in the evening that it dawned to me that the tailor lost my trousers and I’m to use the attire less than 12 hours from then. I felt bad. I felt disappointed. I felt angry. I felt a lot of things but what I felt most was fear.
After my morning encounter with the tailor, I went for parade. Parade is a compulsory part of NYSC Orientation Camp. We’re trained and taught how to match and important commands we’re to know by militants (soldiers). Every platoon has its own platoon commander.
Each platoon has a Platoon Officer (supervisor), Platoon Commander (a soldier) and a Platoon leader (a fellow Corper – like class prefect). My platoon’s commander is a nice lady (soldier rather). She doesn’t stress herself. She tells us what to do, we do it and that’s the end.
In NYSC Camp, there are three major parades.
- Swearing in parade
- Parade competition (inter platoon competition)
- Passing out parade
The Sunday practice was the last one before the Swearing In ceremony the next day.
There are commands we learnt and practiced for the swearing in ceremony.
THE REGULAR NYSC PARADE COMMANDS
- Rade shun – Parade attention
- Raatis – Parade at ease
- Aswire – As you were
COMMANDS FOR SWEARING IN CEREMONY.
N.B. You don’t act till you hear the full command.
- Rade to remove headdresses (parade to remove head dresses).
- Remove headdresses – you touch your cap.
- Up (or kpam or any sound) – place your cap on your shoulder.
- Three architects to the State governor (coordinator, commander, anyone they call) – don’t move.
- Hip Hip Hip (3 times) – for each one, you’ll lift your cap up to your right hand side, not straight up, right up.
- Rade to replace head dresses (parade to replace headdresses. That’s a call to put the caps back on).
- Replace head dresses – you hold your cap with your second hand.
- Up (or kpam or any sound) – put your cap back and keep your hand on your cap. Don’t raise it down.
- Up (down or kpam or any sound) – your hands down.
That’s all for three architects. The three architects is a form of parade greeting to officials.
SOMINSPIRES 