Olaniyi Olanrewaju

I was relaxing on my bed after a long football match when I heard a knock on my door. I felt very reluctant to stand up and open the door. It was really fun to play the round leather game, but my thighs were crying for help because I had not done such a stressful exercise for a very long time. When the person knocking my door wouldn’t give up, I dragged my body out of bed and opened to see the person who has decided not to allow me to rest. It was one of my friends that we just finished playing football together. The information he gave me somehow gave some strength to my body because I followed him immediately to confirm what he told me. When we got out, I saw a large crowd in front of a house and everybody stretching their necks to see what was happening. My curiosity was too heavy for me to stand at the back of the crowd. I pushed my way to the very front of the crowd and I saw a group of pastors standing close by and the prophet. We have heard the news of a prophet who heale...

A noise erupted at the tail end of our camp. I felt it must be some people who are still overjoyed at our freedom, so I didn’t bother standing up from my tent. Moreover, I was tired and needed rest. The noise continued and became louder. It seemed like the noise was travelling down the camp. ’It is indeed a thing of joy’, I thought. When the noise reached my tent, I turned a deaf ear to it. I was deliberate at sleeping, at least for some time. Suddenly, my brother bagged into my tent and shouted ‘get up, they are coming’. Fatigue ran out of my body as I stood up to confirm what he said. As fast as I could, I ran to the see for myself. Just as it is written in the bible, lo and behold, I saw chariots racing towards us. I wondered what could be the reason for this chase, but whatever their reason is, we certainly would not wait for them to meet us here. Still thinking, my eardrum picked the vibration that sounded like my name. I turned around to see who was calling me. It was the el...

It seemed like I just started sleeping when I began to hear Camels bleating and sounds of arrangement. I struggled with the thought of getting up as I wondered what the day was going to look like. The previous day was a hectic one. We packed all our belongings for a mysterious journey. After a while I stood up to peep through the window to see if the other servants had packed everything remaining so that I would just join in when we are about to leave. The ray of light that entered my room was really scotching and I knew that whoever was “upstairs” really hated my master. Back to my bed, I began to wonder the kind of god my master had just found that commanded him to leave his father’s land and all the wonderful things he had around and go to a place that is not mentioned. ‘Which direction are we going to head to?’ ‘What kind of a god gives this kind of command?’ ‘I hope master has not gone mad?’ ‘Maybe his barrenness is beginning to touch something in his brain.’ I thought of my n...

I may not be able to write a diary of a Plateau corper, (Lanre I know can write it) but I can share some of the memories I had while in Plateau….. On  getting to Akwanga  there was something strange and different about the environment. I felt it physically and psychologically that I was out of my comfort zone and region. It was almost as if I was out of Nigeria. I know that sounds funny but it is true. We got to the place popularly called Forest, it was the entrance into Plateau state and I immediately knew without doubt how the place had really earned its name. The trees were so tall and much and the whole place as beautiful as it was, was scary. Journeying through the roadblocks and barricades got me thinking, Nigeria has still not gotten over war threats and situations, why else would every checkpoint in the north resemble an hideout, soldier’s camp or roadblock. We got to Marraba Jama at around quarter to 12 midnight and our driver stopped the bus, saying he couldn’t...