Experiencing The Stages of Grief as a National Service Person

Yesterday being the last day of National Service for the 2018/19 year, it is normal that some of you have still not come to terms with the fact that you're unemployed graduates. You will try to give yourselves all sort of motivation and excuses but you lie bad. It is a stage of life you all will go through. I list in this article the stages of grief every National Service Person has gone through since the inception of this policy.

Keep reading:

Denial (1st August)

All set and ready for work. After all service ends in August not July, you tell yourself

You still wake up and get ready for work knowing very well you're not supposed to report. People see you and ask you where you going to and you tell them you're still going to work. Weytin concern them. Are they the ones who gave you your posting? When people ask you what are you going to do at work the reply you give them is "I for sort out some one and two things together then clear my desk." Bro, which desk? Anyway, it is not their transport money you are using to take car so you owe no one an explanation and still take the steps of hope.

Anger (1st August - 4th August)

When they tell you you are not supposed to be at work yet they WhatsApp you to buy them food.

You get to work and almost everyone you meet reminds you're not supposed to be at work today yet when it is 12pm they will still send you with a list as if you dieeer you be messenger - but all the same you still go to prove a point. You ask yourself so why did you even pay money to get posted to this place when they did not retain you. A 1001 business ideas start popping up in mind with what you could have used that money for and then you start remembering when some of your colleagues told you 'e no dey hia'.

Bargaining (5th August)

An NSP begging H.R to retain him

You walk to the HR and start listing all the activities you've done since September - buying food for staff, photocopies, documentation, etc, and bargain to be retained. You can even go to the extent of creating on your job when no one has sent you just to prove a point. You end up opening the door for people who enter the office like an usher. You can even go to the extent of asking the security/gateman to go and plead on your behalf. The gateman you didn't respect no...you see life.

Depression/Sorrow (3rd August - 6th August)

                            

Just when you're bargaining a new NSP walks in to endorse the form and it dawns on you your service is not needed. Then you start getting worried. It becomes more depressing when those you thought were colleague staffs start whispering amongst themselves and then laugh out loud. You either join the laughter even when you don't know what's under discussion or you find a rope and kill yourself. You start asking yourself "I thought we were fam?"

Acceptance (7th August - 14th August)

When you are your own boss now.

You go home and the next day you don't wake up from bed even at 9 a.m. You start watching Make Up tutorial videos on YouTube and start checking out the prices of beading materials on Jumia. You start researching on how to sell sneakers and start outlining business plans. Within this period, a lot of Facebook pages will be created and we will be bugged with the "Please like my page and share" drug served to us 3 times daily. It is at this stage that you exit all company related WhatsApp groups cos what them dey discuss dey bore you waaaa especially if H.R share joke.

Personnel should know that the stated timelines are just average stipulations of how long one may grief. However, you should note that it could take some just a day, others may go through this in weeks while some may complete this cycle in months or even a year.  

First published on Facebook on 1st August, 2018.