How To Prepare for NYSC Camping.

• Be alert. NYSC camp is not the place to advertise your sheltered upbringing. Act smart and keep your eyes peeled.
• Buy your white clothing: Buy your white sneakers, white shorts and white teeshirt except you want to settle for NYSC brand.
• Buy personal effects like a pillow, bucket so that even if you have to sleep on a bench, you have something soft.
• Take some basic casual clothing, which you can wear on the weekends or after hours.
• You can take some food stuff along if you want. If you have biscuits you absolutely love, take them. You'll definitely need the comfort. Butter is a very good idea and some tins of sardine.
• Use a bag or box with heavy lock on it. You really don't want to have your stuff walking about.
• Travel light! You don't know what the "last leg" of your trip will be like and you dont want to be burdened with too much luggage when riding a rickety "Bolekaja" bus, a "long distance bike" or (if you are posted to Sokoto) a donkey.
• Take money. You need a combination of cash and some money in a bank account with a branch close to your orientation camp. You will eventually get a Corps-issued bank account, but opening one yourself before going is a good idea. Remember it is more important to have access to finance and communication than to take your X-Box with you to youth service camp. It's also good insurance against your luggage going missing or whatnot.
• Take the neccesary paperwork. Take all relevant documents- the last thing you want is to have to journey across the nation multiple times because you forgot your call-up letter. You will also be wise to take photocopies of relevant identification documentation such as your birth certificate (dont take originals of documentation that is not compulsory- people have lost important documents that way). Take all smart cards as well (should be part of the second rule)
• Optionally, Take "downgrades" of luxury items. It might be wise to take slightly less ostentatious or flashy versions of personal effects such as mobile phones and wristwatches. This means: buy a nice little flashlight Nokia and stow the android phone for the duration of orientation camp. You don't want to attract the wrong attention.
• Passport Photographs,:eight (8) would be ok.
• Sun Glasses: Because you will spend a lot of your time under the sun.
• A Camera: While not necessary, i recommend it because like me you might want to take your own pictures. While there are lots of photographers in camp, they always want to get you to print your photos. Get one if you prefer a digital copy and want more control over your photographs. A simple Point and shoot camera would do.
• Print your CV and keep it somewhere with you.
• Have a flash drive containing electronic copies of all your documents with you.