When I was posted to Delta State for NYSC, I got Agbor Technical College as my PPA. At first, I was honestly not excited. I had studied Production Engineering, and suddenly, I was standing in front of a classroom full of teenagers as their “teacher.” I remember thinking, “So this is how my NYSC story is going to be?” 😂

My first few days were a proper adjustment. The students were studying me just as much as I was studying them. Some were quiet, some were stubborn, and some had the confidence of people who had already paid their house rent for the next five years. 😂 One student even asked me, “Oga, are you a real teacher or you are just here for NYSC?” I laughed, but deep down I was thinking, this boy wants to expose me on my first week. 😭

Then came one afternoon I will never forget. I was teaching when I noticed that one of the students kept disturbing the class. I stopped the lesson and asked him to explain himself. Instead of being scared, he looked at me and said, “Oga, no vex. I just wanted to make everybody laugh.”

I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't. The entire class burst out laughing, and eventually, I laughed too. That moment changed something for me. I realised I wasn't just there to complete my service year. These were young people who had their own struggles, personalities, dreams and plenty of wahala, and somehow, for that period, I became part of their everyday lives.

Of course, there were days I left school completely exhausted, wondering why I ever agreed to become a teacher. 😂 There were also days when the students would greet me outside school, call me “Oga Nelson,” or come to ask me questions about life beyond school. Those moments made the experience worth it.

Looking back, Agbor Technical College wasn't the PPA I would have chosen for myself, but it became one of the most memorable parts of my NYSC year in Delta State.

I went there thinking I was going to teach them.

Turns out, they taught me too. 🇳🇬❤️