Olaniyi Olanrewaju

I once got into a discussion with a stranger that came to preach in my dorm while in College. I was on my bed studying the scriptures, but to encourage my brethren that were bold enough to preach the gospel; I decided to give them audience. Our discussions struck a gold mine within me when he mentioned something that the Holy Ghost has been pointing my attention at for the past week. The Stranger asked me if I am a Pharisee which I denied being, but he told me a story that showed me that I was actually carrying the mindset of a Pharisee. He asked: “if you see a 100 naira note on the floor while going for a lecture, will you pick it?” My ready answer was no. Then, he narrated his experience. I was going for a lecture one day when I saw a 500 naira note in a rowdy walk way. I passed by it, but the Holy Spirit called my attention to the money and He asked me to pick it. It sounded very odd because I felt that would be stealing, however I stopped and picked the money because I was ce

The North is not a place your parents will smile about when it appears on your call-up letter. My Dad is not unfamiliar with Northern Nigeria so it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Although, I served on the Plateau State, the social media, especially Facebook claimed I travelled all over the nation as I was tagged in several posts across the country. However, I only visited seven states majorly in the North-East and North-Central part. Back in the West, we thought everyone living in the North belongs to the Hausa tribe, but getting there, I discovered that most people in the North are not of the Hausa tribe, though they all speak the Hausa language. The tribes in the North as much more than the tribes of the West, but I never knew because they all look like our ‘Western Aboki’. People from states like Gombe, Kebbi, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau belong to tribes that I never heard about and they are angry because the minor Hausa tribe has dominated them politically. Apart from

If I had known that the favour of the Lord comes to a man that is in the posture of rest, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to be pierced with so much sorrows from her. We met on the registration queue on campus and like they do say, it was love at first sight. Although, I had given my life to Jesus, I didn’t allow Him to be the Lord of that part of my life. Charity was a girl you can call the woman of my dreams. She wore a quiet and cool face on the rough queue that had lasted for hours. That attracted me to her and I started a chat with her which led me to a place where I had to run to a counselor who told me things I wished someone had explained to me before I met Charity. The counselor explained that the concept of marriage is a picture of Jesus and the Church. Jesus found His purpose and pursued it with all His heart and while He was engrossed with this purpose, God brought out His bride from His side. Jesus never set on a journey to locate His bride, He focused on the agenda of

I left the department immediately I saw 34F. I was destabilized and shocked. Visibly shaking, I did not know when tears started streaming out of my eyes. Different thoughts started crossing my mind. This course I failed is a pre-requisite to lots of courses in part 2 and once anyone fails this course, it could lead to an extra year. All these made me more grieved and tears were now flowing freely from my face. How do I cope with this? A lot of people will be disappointed- my father, my colleagues considering the fact that I am the class pastor. As I was crying, my close friends suddenly appeared. I told them what happened and they were shocked as these were the same set of people that we study together. They could not bear seeing me crying and they pleaded with me that I should stop crying then I asked a question- “people give testimonies that when they started serving God, their academics got better, then why is my own case different?” My friends reminded me that the faithfulness of

Seeing God’s hand in my service year made things easy for me to accept. God showed me that He is the One orchestrating what I initially saw as a scattered set of maze. NCCF became a field for me to nurture my graphics skills and also make lasting impacts in the soul of men around me. In a short while, I became very popular in the house as I served as a form of liaison officer for everyone in the house, but the officer is called landlord. The responsibilities were much; serving people from 05:30 till you lock your door around 22:00. Been the landlord was fun as I had people around me almost always which made all forms of requests come my way except marriage proposal though. My ‘frogy’ voice was always heard in the morning leading the family song. I really didn’t like the idea of leading the song every morning, but I had to. Many laughed at my voice, but I was not moved as I know I am not graced to be good singer. Some house members had several views of my personality and hearing som

Every member of the house cooked once in a week. My first duty was on Saturday night and the meal use to be Jollof Spag and Boiled Egg. House members didn’t like the meal, so we must make the meal very attractive to them. Week after week, the ladies would order me around to cut this, carry that and all other works that doesn’t deal with touching the food itself. They couldn’t allow the destiny of a night’s food to lie in the hands of an amateur. But one Saturday, something happened. Every member on duty that fateful day was not around except the Amateur Olanrewaju. I was alone in the kitchen thinking about where to start from. Then, one of the ladies came around. But as I was rejoicing that I won’t have to spoil the house meal for the night, she told me that she won’t do anything but supervise me. It was a scary thing to do. She sat down near the pot and gave me orders about what to add, when to add it and the quantity to add. While stirring the food, some people passed by and saw

“We are a tripartite being: a family, a fellowship and an organization” was a statement we heard every time we attended service while the coordinator of the day is introducing Nigeria Christian Corpers’ Fellowship (NCCF) to us. The fellowship did a great job of upholding our spirits during the 21 days. I got to know about the fellowship from a friend that served ahead of me. Leaving the camp as one of the incoming national executives sealed that fact that my dream service year is all gone. However, a new adventure was placed before me. The Family House looked like one of the hostels of a school with every single establishment wired towards the setting of a church. Prayers were offered by every member of the house every morning and night. Evening meetings made sure that the bell is always rung which gave room for teachings and meetings to be consistent. It is a beautiful setting. Everything was meant to look like heaven. The guidelines, though seen as rules, were constructed in a way

May 4, 2105 was the day I left home for Plateau state. My mind was blank as to what to expect because I didn’t know what serving the country looks like. I left all I know behind and journeyed into what I hoped for. That should bring up a question in your mind. What was my hope for the service year? I wished for a time that will turn me into a haven for wisdom, knowledge and understanding in a village. Serve as a teacher that will impact more than the curriculum of the class work and live for long in the hearts of the community, but the Master had a different plan. Few days into camp, I was invited for an interview that led into a series of interviews and later became a story with several chapters. Little did I know that the service year would bring into my life an experience that will cause me to unlearn and re-learn when I thought that all I will do is make people know what I have learnt. It all started on camp with myriad of experiences that told me that a world bigger than Obafem

25th Day- The day i left camp A plateau is defined as a largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland by the dictionary. Plateau state(...Shere hills in particular) is the highest point from sea level in Nigeria. The sky is closer than any other place. When it is raining, you can clearly see the clouds pouring down. Also, the mango here is as big as a coconut. I bought it once and i couldn't finish it. Yam is so abundant here. It seems like everyone in this state is a farmer. On camp, there is hardly a breathing space. Secular music are all over and the rooms are filled with all sorts of vulgar languages. The timetable of the camp says that we wake up by 4am to prepare for morning meditation and parade which will end by 8-8:30am. We are expected to take our breakfast before 9am when lectures will start. Lectures end by 2pm and evening parade starts by 4pm till 6pm. The timetable is so packed that you might forget all about God. These are the strategies the Lo

24th May -20th Day on Camp I woke up with shivers because i have a witness in my heart that i will be serving in the central executive of NCCF. Event of last night made a lot of people wake up late(...am sure some people drank alcohol for the first time in their life last night). One of the key aspects of a christian that will suffer seriously if one isn't careful is quiet time. Joel 2 was the word for the day. Service was really glorious as the NYSC officials came in their numbers and even rendered a special number. A professor, who is also a patron of NCCF preached on the theme of the camp program(...the theme is "A call to service: a call to abide"). The man was very practical and real. At the end of the service, 12 men and a leader were called out as executives. It was really awesome. The picture is that of the apostles of the lamb. I am priviledged to be among the 12(...as the publicity secretary). We will live together, eat together to strenghten our love.

23rd May- 19th Day on Camp When camp first started, the queue for food (...guys are the ones that jump this queue) was not much because people still had money,but when the third week started, the queue became very long and the people patronizing the camp market reduced(...no money again). Now, the queues are almost non-existing because alawee have been paid. A lot of people are hoping that they will be posted to the state capital-Jos while some others have even bribed some officials to  post them to Jos(...rumor said they paid 30,000). It is not until you are in a political/public office that you can be corrupt. Bribe giving/taking is against the scripture. Psalms  26:8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.  26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:  26:10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. Today is the last day that one trumpet will wake me up by 04:00am. The atmosphe

22nd May-18th Day on Camp The weather of Plateau state is unique among other states, but i will say the weather is very strange(...someone even said confused). The weather changes very often. If the sun is shinning brightly now, it can change into a storm in less than a minutes. The rain comes as if it is hiding behind the mountains. It is always unannounced. To worsen the case, the camp is surrounded by mountains which makes the camp vulnerable to very cold winds of the mountains. We were punished during morning parade again because we were murmuring when the camp commandant wanted to speak. There are two categories of soldiers on camp. The platoon instructors(...they hold fat sticks) and security officers(...they are always with their guns). The commandant told us that some cult members on camp are planning to attack themselves. He said "I am ready to kill anyone who threathens another person's life and if you don't believe me, i will clear your doubt" &qu

21st May- 17th Day on Camp Few days to the end of camp(...Camp ends on monday) and everyone is happy and relaxed. The soldiers are no longer strict like they used to be. Morning parade was very light and i was back in my room before 7am to rest before going back for breakfast. After the morning lectures, the marching competition started and it was a glorious ceremony. Every eye were on them. They moved so swiftly and uniformely typifying one of the characteristics of the army of the Lord. Joel  2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: My platoon(...winner according to most corpers) took the second position. God has an army on earth right now. In the scriptures, only 3 sets of people were described as the army of the Lord: Gideon's Army-Judges 7, Joel's Army-Joel 2 and Ezekiel's Army-Ezekiel 37. They have started giving us our first allowance an

20th May-16th Day on Camp After a dream that am still trying to decode, i woke up around 02:00am and i couldn't sleep again. I began to meditate on several things, but majorly on dance. Gone are those days that i used to think that once the heart is right, the act doesn't matter. The Lord has opened my eyes to see that the right heart produces the right act. At a time, shawama was a snack that people were eating well. But if anyone had got it for me, i would have given it out or dash the bin. No one can decide my favorite kind of food for me; not even by prophecy. God clearly wrote the kind of sacrifice he wants. Giving Him a diseased animal because that is what is available or that is what is trending will not make Him accept such. When people dance skelewu(...and the likes) in the church, they are offering an abominable offering to God. Our lazyness to press into God is what is making us to look back and desire the onions and the cucumbers of Egypt. There are many typ

19th May- 15th Day on Camp The weather has always been at the mercy of the wind. This morning, the wind brought an unusually cold weather. It affected morning parade as we didn't sing out loud. The skill acquisition class wasn't good either; i slept almost throughout. After the skill acquisition, we moved towards our hostels, but we were stopped by soldiers. We tried our best to get through them, but the soldiers withstood us and poured water on us. It made me remember my alma mata, but we were not up against old cadets here rather war-trained agile soldiers and before a story the touches happens, i walked back into the hall. While i was coming back from the kitchen where i got my lunch, heavy rain started and i had to run so as not to get wet. Many people were still outside trying to get their food, but i was inside, enjoying my food(...we couldnt say if the food was yam or porrage or pounded yam without stew). I was safe after running into the room. Proverbs 18:10  

18th May-14th Day on Camp Noise of the search for 14,000 brought me back from my sleep. My room was in chaos and the leaders of the room had locked down the room. It is the last week of the camp and according to the camp officials, this is the week that many things will be stolen. One of my white T-shirts got missing yesterday while i was drying it outside. Stealing is an act of the devil, it shows the existence of the kingdom of darkness. We can put an end to the works of darkness by decreeing Light just like God did. Genesis  1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Since there is no escape route from parade again(...my escape route used to be cultural dance and we have lost out), the soldiers forced everyone that isn't in the marching squad to dance

17th May-13th Day on Camp Being in a room of more than 100 occupants is a big adventure. When you feel sleepy, Messi and Ronaldo may be holding a presidential debate; when you want to study, Goodluck and Buhari are on the football field; curses fly around like molecules of air and buckets travel like an Emirates plane(...i have found mine). While someone is using a mosquito net as a cover cloth, many are snorring after drinking. After a sound sleep of about 7hours, i dressed up for service without catarrgh. I sat beside the window and a lady with a fancy phone sat beside me. She chatted and played game for more than half of the service. This is actually quite common nowadays. People chat during service and it is not a sign of respect for the presense of the Father. Social media which has come under great attack by some church members is actually a tool in the hands of the Lord through us. It is the same story with the television. It was called the devil's box when it was firs

16th May-12th Day on Camp I dressed up smiling mischieviously because i know i wouldn't be at parade because of cultural dance practise. (...i woke up with catarrgh). After the morning prayers, the dance group went aside and started training and i was chosen to beat the gong. The gong is the same instrument used to announce a message from a yoruba king. Our mouth is like a gong, announcing something or better still announcing someone. We are visible in the spiritual world. Angels and Demons can recognise us(...remember the 7 sons of Sceva). How we use our mouth will determine how much respect we will get from both Angels and demons. Matthew  8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us befor

15th May- 11th Day on Camp I opened my eyes around 03:00 and i heard the sounds of a heavy rain. I quickly prayed that the rain will last till about 06:00 so that we can sleep till then, but the rain had another agenda. It stopped before 04:00 and a very cold parade started by 05:00. The air was so pregnant with cold that it became visible like the air of the temperate region. Ever since the volunteers for matching were selected, the soldiers have been abusing the remaining members of the group. I couldn't take it again this morning, so when the cultural dancers needed drummers, i gladly joined them. Currently, my bucket is missing, but am still searching for it. I choose not to be angry with my roommates like others have been doing(...we are over 100 in the room). Tomorrow will be quite free because there will be no lecture. I keep buying books. Got 3 more-"There were two trees in the garden", "Visions of harvest" and "Apostolic ministry"(...a

14th May- 10th Day on Camp Gallant and strong describes the way i felt when i woke up. Songs flowed from my heart to God as i moved to the parade ground. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Parade ground that was cold became hot when the camp commandant took over. We received the greatest punishment since camp started. As usual, only a few erred(...they came to the parade late), but we were all punished. When we complained, the commandant said that we are 'one body'. That sent me into a theatre of meditation. Christ on earth exists as a body. As much as i would agree that the body is not united with respect to doctrine, i say that the greatest challenge against the body is immaturity. Many truths have been restored by the Spirit beginning from the days of protestanism, but many have refused to be established in the present truth. A measure of God is in the catholic church; the denomination that God used to sustain or

13th May-9th Day on Camp I slept after hearing the news that my house at home was burgled and my laptop was stolen. My heart was really heavy but thank God for the father of all mercies and God of all comfort. During the day, we heard news that curfew has been declared in 10 local governments in Plateau state due to unrest, but i believe God for protection. There was no morning parade today because it was the turn of my platoon to do sanitation. We went about cleaning the surroundings of the camp. I remember the sanctification process that every christian must engage in. As we picked the dirts, the camp became cleaner. John  17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Evening parade was fine. I spend most of my free time on parade praying in tongues and meditating. The vision of NCCF was explained better to us today. My heart was strenghtened(...i have not missed a day's fellowship). I was interviewed again today. Couldn't eat dinner today because

12th May- 8th Day on Camp Morning parade took another dimension this morning as we went for man o' war training. The training was really thorough;climbing, jumping,crawling(....our clothes got dirty). My clothes and shoes are quite big but i managed them. We climbed a ladder called Jacob's ladder. Jacob's ladder in the bible is a ladder that touches heaven and earth on which angels ascend and descend. After the parade, we went for a lecture(...people sleep mostly during the lectures). Most of the market women(...they all look alike) understand english and they trust the corp members with money. If they dont have change, they give you the money with faith that you will bring it back. I remembered the words of Jesus that we should be childlike(...not childish). A child doesn't think evil towards anyone and he doesn't think that anyone wants to do him evil. One of the interesting activity of the camp is the trumpet that sounds at 06:00 and 18:00. When the t

11th May- 7th Day on Camp Stealing have become a normal thing on the camp, but the Lord has been my keeper. Activities of the devil(...to steal, kill and destroy) cannot come near me because am on the path of righteousness. People who have been victims threaten the thieves with charms(...someone even gave an ultimatum of 3days). Darkness cannot quench darkness. Morning parade was sweet as the soldiers choose those than can march and abandoned the rest of us(...it was a great relief). While singing an Igbo song, someone spoke igbo to me thinking i am igbo, but i couldnt reply(...Hausa are very few while Yoruba and Igbo are much more here). NYSC alone isn't enough to integrate Nigeria. We were made to learn just one Nigerian language in secondary school which most people chose his/her own language. If we were made to study at least 3(...we have 3 major languages in Nigeria), the integration will be more efficient. We had lectures on entrepreneurship and HIV/AIDS. I voluntee

10th May-6th Day on Camp Mangu(...Location of the camp) keeps getting colder by the day. Temperature is mostly around 20°C and they keep saying that this is their hot season.I go about in my hood and glooves. Sunday is the best day on camp because there was no parade. Soldiers said it is the resting day. We were allowed to wear clothes other than white. I didnt attend biblestudy at all not to talk of taking a class; i got there very late and i discovered that teachers were not enough for the study(...i felt quite bad about it). Yesterday, i was interviewed by NCCF; i don't know what it is meant for. After service, i went to the kitchen(...it was the turn of my platoon to cook and i was placed in the group that will prepare lunch. They placed a mountain of yam before us. If you sit on a side, you wont be able to see the other side(...the yam was really much). I peeled 15 tubers(...which is probably the yam of a whole plot of land). While peeling, i sat among some igbo ladies

9th May-5th Day on Camp Attimes we wake up strong and agile, the opposite was my experience this morning. I dressed up within 10minutes(...i take my bath in the night mostly) and went for morning parade. During the parade, we were advised against relocation. They said several people already have fake medical report with which they want to relocate with. I remember that scripture in Psalms that said God is faithful in all His ways. We should be like our father! During the break, i discovered that books are cheap here so i went to check myself. On getting there, i discovered that books are super cheap on the Plateau. Without wasting time, i bought 4 books that should cost close to 4,000 in Ibadan for less than 2,000. Not that i have soo much money on me, but wherever the heart of a man is, his treasure will be. Afterall, some people have spent much more on alcohol(...someone even vomitted in the room in the night). I saw a need in my heart  to withdraw a little bit from NCCF(...i

8th May- 4th Day in Camp Marching practise that have been the major agenda of our parades really got intense today as the platoon(group) leaders wanted to choose those that will represent the group at the marching competition(...i don't want to be picked because the training is quite tedious). The soldiers forced us to sing some songs. The lyrics of the favorite song of the soldiers is this: "Papa no dey o Mama no dey o If you want to fire me, fire me make i die(...i dont sing this line because i dont intend to die here) I no go run away from this camp o" My own favorite is this: "Eee eee e eee, yawa go dey)2ce. If alawee no dey, yawa go dey )2ce". I was able to eventually complete my registration today and we were given #1,500 which is supposed to be a refund of out transport fare to the camp. I attended NCCF meeting after the evening parade after which i ate and went to bed. #DiaryOfACorper

7th May-3rd day in Camp Swearing in day finally showed up(...i was able to tie my belt) and we took an oath to do somethings. Oaths are very binding for anyone who values the word of his mouth. While we were taking the oaths, i remembered God took an oath too that we will be priests forever after the order of Melchizedek which means we have access into God's presence forever. God's oath is binding; mine should be too. Friend, if you cannot pay the price of an oath, don't bother taking it. Let your word be expensive just like our Father. I had to snap the oath form to always remember the promise i made. The ceremony lasted 4hours of which we were in the sun all through and the man o' war ladies won the tug of war. The atmosphere on the camp really chokes Zoe. You hear Wizkid on parade and Olamide in your room, in fact, it looks like Wizkid in my front, D'banj on my right, Olamide on the left and Tuface behind(...i am very very sensitive to songs).It seems like ev