Corps Member Salutes Father After NYSC Orientation Camp, Makes Him Proud in Public
- A young corps member went viral after showing an emotional display of love for her father
- She staged a march-past and gave a national salute in his honour after leaving her NYSC orientation camp in Lagos
- She said she discovered her father’s interest in NYSC-related videos on TikTok and decided to surprise him
A young Nigerian woman, Zainab Opeyemi Ayilara, has gone viral online after a heartwarming display of filial love.
In a video she shared on TikTok, Ayilara was seen gallantly performing a march-past and giving a national salute to her father after completing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Lagos state.
Source: TikTok
The emotional moment ended with her father holding her tenderly in front of his carpentry shop.
How TikTok inspired Corps member's heartwarming surprise
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Ayilara explained that the gesture was inspired by her desire to make her father happy.
“I noticed he never skips any video of such content. He usually sends me links to those videos and always asks me when I am going for mine [NYSC] too. I knew he wanted it too, but he just wasn't direct about it.”
Ayilara revealed that she registered for NYSC with the plan of recreating such a moment for her father.
“I registered for Nysc, went to camp with the mindset of making that video when I am back. I came back home, he had left for work, I decided to go to his workplace to do the video as planned in my head.”
After three exhausting weeks at the orientation camp filled with drills, frog jumps, sports, and social activities, Ayilara said she was relieved to be home. Although she appeared confident in the video, she admitted she was initially shy about posting it.
Watch the full video here:
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“To be very honest, I was so shy. I almost didn't post the video sef but I knew my Dad is my no 1 fan. He is always among the top 10 to view my post on Tiktok. He might not like it if I did not post it and the aim of making him happy would not be achieved. So I posted it that day,” she said.
Corps member speaks on father's sacrifices
Source: TikTok
Ayilara added that her father had made many sacrifices to put her and her siblings through school using his modest wood furnishing business. This, she said, was the driving force behind the video, as she wanted to make him proud.
“He is always watching the video anytime he has the chance to press phone. I am glad I did it.”
Corps member narrates NYSC camp experience
Reflecting on her experience at the NYSC Orientation camp, revealing that she initially struggled to settle in but eventually found her rhythm. In a matter of days, she grew to become the coordinator of her platoon for a cultural competition.
“I don't like competitions but competing in camp was fun. Getting back to the hostel room to bant other platoon members was fun, they showed me shege too sha. We got disqualified at the first cultural competition. I was pained but we didn't relent. For the carnival, I coordinated, directed, and begged people to participate and we won. That was my best day at camp for real.”
Needless to say, the victory boosted her self esteem as her name became famous on the winning team. This, she said, made her "feel so relevant."
Ayilara who studied Yoruba and Communication Arts at Lagos State University and is a well-known Yoruba chanter who performs eulogies at ceremonies.
Netizens react as Corps member honours father
Reacting to the video, @halajoke3 said::
“Omo why am I getting teary, Congratulations my friend.”
@asseji4 added:
“I always feel emotional anytime I watched this kind video bcos I wish to do this for my father but his died.”
FG reforms NYSC mobilisation process
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a sweeping reform that ties the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation process to the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD).
Under the NERD framework, students are required to deposit academic outputs such as theses and project reports.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
