MY QUEST TO SERVE MY COUNTRY; GHANA. Pt 1

On the 6^th October, 2011, I completed the regional registration which was under a less hectic condition. After this mile, I preconceived that, this enormous change I am embracing and its lasting experience will be a positive change unto my life.

I left Cape Coast in the Central Region around 6: 15am and got to Secondi, Tarkoradi in the Western Region just about few minutes to 9 o’clock am.

I located the regional office where all national service personnel’s who were posted to the western Region were to start with their national service registrations (a civic responsibility of a every university graduate to contribute his/her quota to the national development).

I got to the premises and enquired where specifically the registration process was undergoing, I was directed to the area and instantly I recognized a queue of students ready to follow the process.

I first went to a room where you have to be verified and checked according to the University you've completed, then you will move on to take a passport size picture on the veranda in front of the office.

In this room were three men in their mid thirties. One in an African print had his elbow on the record case where they kept their files, one with a bad english ascent was in a striped blue and was seated behind the desk and the other man who was in the national service printed attire was seated with his back turned to the door and had a laptop in front of him. He confirmed by checking the picture you used to register when you were about to complete school. Also there was a queue from outside into the room of which I made my place behind the last person.

Some of the personnel’s who did not have their school identity cards (ID) were directed to the man in African print to make their reason known and wait for his word either to go back to where they came from and bring the ID or by divine grace would permit them to continue with any other identification card they had at their disposal that very moment.

Another queue was for the taking of passport pictures after you had completed with the verification process. This man who was taking these pictures, was in a serious mood whilst he conducted his work and anyone who didn’t follow the due process wouldn't take it lightly at all.

He pushed the lady in front of me aside and made a harsh statement that, “if you are not ready, stand aside and put your stuff together before you join the queue”.

This made the gentleman who was in my school t-shirt but didn’t complete from the institution took caution and quickly enquired the due process this stern man was requiring.

After taking my picture, I descended down to continue with the registration process.

Downstairs, were also national service personnel’s who had being posted to that district to serve with that regional national service secretariat.

Some of these personnel’s were my colleagues and others were friends who pursed different courses in the same university. They were seated behind wooden desks and had the places where national service personnel’s had being posted to, typed and pasted in front of their desks.

I enquired and identified the desk I have to attend to. I walked majestically to the desk, already there were other personnel’s who were posted to the same district and other surrounding districts.

I finished with him and had to move to the regional director’s desk for him to append his signature to authenticate my reporting, verification and confirmation to embark on my national responsibly.

He was in a short sleeve shirt, wearing a spectacle on which it had a sticker on one glass of the frames, he was seated on a different chair and had a young woman assisting him by collecting the sheets from the personnel’s as she arranged and stamped them.

She handed them over to him after she was done and he then appended his signature and created a comic atmosphere with some hilarious questions he posed to the “honorable” as he used to call us.

It was declared to us that, he needed not to be asked any question about the process or the national service personnel’s serving their outfit had not done their work accurately.

There were also a number of people around his desk who were waiting patiently for him to finish signing theirs so that they could continue with the eating of the big elephant.

I collected my signed documents and expressed my gratitude for his service.

I then made some phone calls to a colleague who resided in Tarkoradi and lodged in his house for the night.

On the 7^th October, 2011 I woke up around 5:05am. On this bright morning, while I went to take my bath, I remembered the words of a mate who completed the same second cycle institution with me. He told me that, it will be very difficult for me in travelling to Sefwi Wiawso (The place I am posted to) unless I woke up early and get to the station on time.

When I finished bathing and entered the room, I noticed a missed call on my phone and returned the call as quickly as possible to know who was reaching me at that hour.

It was my mate again, who was prompting me to be smart in my preparation and get to the station in time in order to catch a bus.

I met this mate the day before during the registration process and we had a long chat about our past, the experiences we had acquired in the tertiary and what will make us fulfilled in the future.

After this call, my mind was triggered by the imagination of the long journey I was going to embark and my planned activities I will have to accomplish after finishing the registration in the district.

I quickly got all things together and I got ready to set off. As my friend decided to help me with bag, he heard some noise on the ceiling and went to take a peep from the window to know what specifically was meriting that noise.

After the peep, he took a slow head turn and made an eye contact with me because I was much eager to know what it was. I asked, “is it raining”? He answered by nodding his head.

I said, “aooow” and took a deep sigh. I sat on his bed and thought of when this act of nature was going to stop so I could continue this journey.

My friend gave me an assurance that, it will stop in no time.

The rain stopped in about 15 minutes and we zoomed out to get a taxi and in about 10 minutes we were at the yard starring at some parked buses.

I enquired from a man who was standing right beside a bus that, which one of the buses was going to Sefwi Wiawso? He immediately pointed to the bus he was standing beside and made a comment that, “he also had to go to that place and the bus was already filled with passengers and even other passengers on board were standing in it.

I told myself, I am not going lose my guard on this one. I have to get on this bus at all cost.

This man told me that, he had been trying to get on the bus but to no avail. He told me that the bus conductor was the one coming our direction.

The bus conductor was in a black shirt, a waist bag and there were some tickets in his hand.

I approached him and asked if he would sell a ticket to me? He told me point blank that he was not going to sell the ticket to me.

I then went back to my friend and as we stood there for some few seconds. We saw another official who came with another passenger. The official made a statement that; the passenger was of relation to one of the officials in a cubicle nearby, so a ticket was sold to the woman even though the bus was already full.

I saw there was a way, I went to the official and made a claim that, I was going to register for my NSS and I was required to do it only today.

The man who came with the lady told me that, he had no authority unless the bus conductor.

So I asked him that, “would there be another bus moving to Sefwi Wiawso?”

He answered that, this was the 3^rd bus moving and there would not be any other going there.

This answer sparked my adrenalin to do something to get on the bus.

Part 2 will be followed as soon possible, so please don't forget to follow this link.

Thank you...