It was a warm Wednesday morning precisely the 22nd of February 2017. Our clinic coordinator Barr. Muktar had instructed us to park light and be at the faculty by 7am latest. I was excited by the three day trip to Umahia the capital city of Abia state and I could tell my teammates were excited too.
We were at the faculty as early as we could, there we met the driver, the coordinator, and the faculty bus waiting for us. Typical of every uni Abuja law clinic student, we took the first selfie of the hundreds that were to come after it.
As we said our prayer for a safe journey, I could not help but nurse the feeling that we were going to emerge victorious because I knew we received the perfect training from the perfect coach. Besides, it was the 12th NCICSC (National Client Interviewing and Counseling Skill Competition) with the theme 'Residential Neighbors' and our team would as always be the best team present for we were always very prepared and had already been christianed 'Team England' (England being the venue for the international competition).
The first two days in Umuahia was not an easy experience for us, for despite the fact that we were logged in a beautiful hotel named 'Burg Li', we encountered serious difficulties finding a place to eat. We however did not allow this discomfort take it's toll on us for we continued to have training sessions even in an almost empty stomach that our representatives for the competition Chioma and Ekene were already properly tutored and ready for the competition before some of the other teams arrived the hotel.
That night being a Thursday night, the hosting school Abia state university took up our feeding (as they would continue to do till the competition ends). After dinner, we continued our rigorous training session as we were already accustomed to do. We ended the day with a power packed praying session. Tomorrow was the first stage of the competition ( preliminary stage) and just like warriors, we were battle ready both physically and spiritually.
The preliminary stage of the competition was a daunting one. The different teams were renamed with alphabets A-H after a random blind selection was done by the schools and our school was given the letter H. This stage was not a knock out stage and as the NULAI (The organising body) representative Mr Mammud announced, from the 9 teams present for the competition, only six of them would make it to the semi finals.
From my seat I could see my team mates Chioma and Ekene go in for the first round of the two rounds that make up the preliminary stage,I said a word of prayer for them and then rushed in to observe another team. I would say, it was a little suspicious when the result of the preliminary stage was not called that day after the second round and this made the whole air in Burg Li so hostile as everybody awaited the next day with no smiles and fingers crossed.
It was Friday, the day of the semi finals and finals respectively. Mr Mammud announced that before the semi finals could commence, three teams that tied in the preliminary stage would have to undergo a clandestine tie breaker session. Sadly for us, my team was part of them and believe me, that is where our ordeal began. However i was confident that my team was more than prepared to beat that stage. The tie breaking stage was over in no time and I could sense the confidence my team exhumed as they left the room, we had made it, indeed we were victorious. You can now imagine the dismay and surprise I felt when my team was called as one of the two teams that failed to make it to the semi finals, in fact, we were adjudged the worst team present. This broke my heart in many ways than one, at that moment I could see all our dreams, plans and prayers falling down like hail stones from the sky like in the day of Sodom. I would have to say at this point that I had serious reservations about the judgment and the compilation process and so did my coordinator and fellow teammates, but like proud soldiers, we sat and observed the competition to the final stage of it.
The finals I would say was a little hilarious, since it was done in the open, I was given the opportunity to make a critical analysis of the finalists teams. Trust me when I say that the joy in my heart knew no bounds when our coordinator confirmed my thoughts by saying that the final competition was in no way of international standards and with all things been equal, or team would have handled the final scenario with more professionalism. The competition however ended with the faculty of law Ebonyi state emerging as the winner to everyone's surprise but time was already far spent and I could tell that though there was tension in the air and everybody was exhausted, we all looked forward to the closing party to calm our nerves and probably make a friend out two. the final party was exciting and as was earlier anticipated, our team attracted a lot of friend's from the different schools present.
It was surprisingly a cold Sunday morning in Abia state, we had all said our good byes and entered our bus to begin our long journey back to Abuja. while we were en route, our coordinator turned from the front seat where he usually sat and made a speech that would forever be comfort and a wise word for me. He said that despite the fact that we are not going back as winners of the competition, he was very proud of us because we were the best team present for that competition and that the knowledge we have acquired would never be taken from us. When he finished speaking, I looked around the bus for the first time and I began to appreciate the family I have made as a result of the competition the seven of us that represented or faculty had become family, and for that moment, I was filled with warmth and relief. We might not have made it first in the competition but we were no doubt champions, these I thought as i gradually drifted into sleep.
Ekene, this is a wonderful piece. You have said it all. It was a great opportunity as always and it is not a win-loose thing. All of you that attended from different schools are winners. Congratulations!
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