By joshua Army Chief Urges Ebonyi Youths To Enlist In Nigerian Army
By Emmanuel Agbo, Abakaliki
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has urged youths in Ebonyi State to take advantage of the ongoing Nigerian Army recruitment exercise and enlist in the military.
Shaibu made the call during an Army recruitment sensitisation tour in Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state.
Represented at the event by Brigadier General O. Igwe, the Army Chief said the sensitisation was aimed at encouraging qualified indigenes of Ebonyi to participate actively in the recruitment exercise and enable the state to meet its recruitment quota.
He also commended Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for his support for the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
Shaibu expressed concern over the poor participation of Ebonyi and other South-East states in previous recruitment exercises, noting that although the state was allocated more than 300 slots in the last exercise, only about 75 persons applied.
He said filling the state’s recruitment quota was important to strengthening the nation’s security architecture.
According to him, the Nigerian Army conducts recruitment exercises twice a year, depending on manpower requirements, and states are expected to take advantage of the opportunities provided.
He urged traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders to take the sensitisation campaign to their communities and encourage qualified youths to apply.
The Army Chief also appealed to youths to disregard fears that joining the military automatically meant being deployed to conflict-prone areas.
He said, “We have the Depot in Amasiri. Let us take advantage of this opportunity. Don’t allow anybody to discourage you because there are many advantages in the Nigerian Army.”
He explained that although military personnel could be deployed anywhere in the country, not every recruit would be posted to the North-East or other areas affected by insurgency.
“If you join the Nigerian Army, you will take an oath to serve anywhere,” he said, adding that he had served in about 80 per cent of the states in Nigeria without any incident.
He further advised youths below the age of 21 who met the requirements to consider applying to the Nigerian Defence Academy, saying it could provide opportunities for them and their families.
Also speaking, the Commander, Nkwegu Military Cantonment, Lieutenant Colonel Ikenna Emmanuel, urged qualified Ebonyi youths to overcome their fears and participate in the recruitment exercise, assuring them of the Army’s welfare and support.
The Executive Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Chief Chidiebere Onyemaechi Alo, commended the Nigerian Army for organising the sensitisation programme, describing it as timely and important.
Alo urged youths in the state to participate actively in the Army and other paramilitary recruitment exercises, while dismissing the belief that joining the military was synonymous with death.
He also encouraged youths to shun idleness and engage in productive ventures that would make them self-reliant.
The Chairman of the Ebonyi State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Charles Mkpuma, assured the Army that traditional institutions would take the sensitisation message to the grassroots to improve participation in future recruitment exercises.
Similarly, the traditional ruler of Umunwagu Idembia Community, Eze Uchenna Nwuhuo, expressed concern over the persistent killing of security personnel in the country, saying the development had contributed to declining interest among youths in military recruitment.
Nwuhuo called on the Nigerian Army to adopt stronger measures to protect its personnel and urged the military to extend its sensitisation programmes to secondary schools to “catch them young.”
He also expressed concern that many youths now view politics as the most viable means of survival, urging them to consider careers in the military and other productive sectors.
The event was attended by local government chairmen, senior government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders, youths and women from across the state.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of an award by the Nigerian Army to the Executive Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area.