The Camp (ePub)

With both parents from Tabo Gido Ora in Ukama State, Badamasi, born in Takula-Kakuri, in Badaka State was commissioned as an officer of the Nigerian Army using his state of birth as his state of origin. He however found that his claim of Badaka State was an encumbrance to his career growth. Everywhere he turned, he found that his identity was constantly questioned. He couldn't identify as an indigene of Ukama State because he neither knew the State nor could he speak the Ora dialect. Yet, although he had lived all his life in Badaka and spoke Hausa fluently, he was not fully accepted or integrated into their society. He figured he will lose out when the military hierarchical ladder gets narrower since at those higher levels, quota system becomes crucial to getting higher ranks. He found he was internally displaced.

Through his various experiences, Badamasi concluded that his displacement was not necessarily a lack of acceptance by the society. Instead, it was a manifestation of the convoluted economic, political and social dynamics of Nigeria where, because of past colonial rule and many political failures, corruption defines every aspect of the citizen's life. Most citizens have lost hope in the country and now have a collective psyche of internally displaced persons living in a camp. They hope that someday they will find their way home because Nigeria is not their home.