'Madam,do me 3 indomie and 2 eggs, takeaway ni o'
'Ehen,my customer'
I dropped onto a seat and watched as she cracked the eggs,dropped them into hot oil and scooped spoonfuls of noodles into a styrofoam pack.
'Madam,na 3 indomie o! Make e plenty o'
'Okay,I know you nar' her lacerised face widened into a smile. She said that in obvious reference to my large appetite which she noticed in the early days of camp. 'Customer yii ma jeun gan' she kept saying whenever I hopped in.
Food gotten&payment made,I gave the shop a once-over-just a rectangular walk-in with a stove and kitchen odds and ends at its end.
'Madam goodnight' I muttered
As I walked midway out,I repeated louder this time 'Madam goodnight'
I wasn't being polite or obsequious,this was my last night on camp and I had come to appreciate these stands and people. I would miss them.
Walking back to the room,new friends staggered and patted my back,some shoved phones into my hands to exchange contacts and we all smiled dopely with the carelessness of youth.
On the tarred stretch that led to my hostel-Panama Bay we called it-I was left alone to my thoughts and the stifling ammonia from pee encrusted walls.

Memoirs of an Otondo

Shopping for camp,I headed for Lagos Island to get the essentials. My homie-Itunu was at hand to give me the list of the requisite-although they sounded unrequisite-sneakers,white shorts, all to avoid using the camp issue.At the end of the day,I had a white ensemble which boasted cool labels,Itunu smiled gleefully at this and patted me on the back.The only purchase that gave me joy was a black and gold embossed copy of 'The 50th Law', you remember that book?the new sizzler from rap artise,50 cent and the acclaimed writer,Robert Greene.(The 48 laws of power,The Art of Seduction)
I arrived camp when the shadows had grown long and in a haze of so many accents,I got a mattress and a dusty stretch on the cement floor which was very welcome seeing all this arrived at 2:00 a.m.
Reading the 50th law made me appreciate the camp more. See this was a book which rotated around the themes of individuality,mental alchemy-turning shit into sugar and opportunism.
So I appreciated the early morning bugles,because it afforded me the opportunity of experiencing dawn in the open air;feeling the chilly breeze,seeing the sky lighten and the sun peek out-at first shy like a hesitant bride and soon proudly overhead making us scamper to the nearest shade.
Greene said 'When we get to work with what there is,we find new ways to employ this material' That proved true in camp,I learnt how to churn out articles with a pen and jotter seeing the editorial team had to perform without a computer.I learnt how to hold a phone through the night seeing we had to charge and we had a hundred room mates. And I learnt humility when the camp clown said I marched like 'a pre degree student'.
Did I tell you about the sheer variety of languages that exist here?Sometimes I unplug my earphones and just feel myself drift in this cacophony of diversity- chiazo in his igbo accent, musa who when he says 'poor pipe' actually means 'four five', ade who asks if am 'hangry' or if the light is 'hon'. Great peeps,'em all.
As the days draw to an end,and the bonds of friendship cinch tighter,I would always value my top moment-watching the Nigerian flag ascend with an auditory backdrop of a martial tune, I could feel my heart billow in tune with the polyester of the flag's material. Good times-these.

On the pounded yam matter

I heard it from the rumor mill. I felt it from the excitement and increased activity of youth advocates-they tweeted with more voracity. I saw it in the bland requests for a certain man’s number-the man perceived to be in charge of offering invitations. I saw it in the obstinate chin set of people who knew they would not be invited. It was the Presidential Lunch and youths around the country were agog. Why? It was a fora for the president to meet and discuss with the youth. Which people would be invited? Those regarded as representative of the youth population. How would they be identified? Well, by nomination.
So it went that on Tuesday, 25th of May, the youth congregated to have a jaw-jaw with Mr. President. They ate, they spoke, they argued and at the end of the day-they were compensated for their worries.
In the wake of the event, a couple of issues arise. Issues in the form of dissenting voices which attempt to taint the reputation of those who have attended-people who see a sit-in as representation, and attendance as a sell-out. They have voiced allegations against the per diem paid to attendees, against the fact that they consorted with Mr. President and against the quality of the pounded yam.
As a Christian, I frowned when I heard about the meal of choice. Yam and things have always being associated with a sell-out in my religion.
In my view, dialogue between the government and those desiring change should always be welcome. This can be seen in autobiographies of social revolutionaries like Nelson Mandela. It should be noted that social advocacy is different from whining. One has to do with championing a cause and seeking to see the change you desire. The latter has to do with criticizing everything and a desire to be seen as anti-establishment.
On the brown envelope matter, ehm...per diems are an accepted global practice. It is seen as compensation for time and resources used as well as a thinking that the attendees would have made the same amount in their various private ventures.
Then, in the Yoruba culture (and even mine-Ogori Magongo), it is a faux pas to criticize attendees at an event you were not invited to and it follows that POUNDED YAM IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE REJECTED. 
I don’t wanna turn this article into a long thing, So I end on the note that the president’s signing of the FOI bill into law shows his love of openness and interaction. Therefore, it behooves on every true patriot to embrace like opportunities to air their views on a larger platform. This is behavior worthy of a patriot and any who does more than this should be questioned. (Sorry, I just had to slip in that Shakespeare look-alike line)
Then on the pounded yam, good choice of delicacy Mr. President 
Osisiye Tafa, graduate of the Political Science Department, University of Lagos. Tweeter Handle: @osisiye