The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Col. Taoreed Lagbaja has decried the worrisome underrepresentation of Rivers State, other South-South States and Southeast geopolitical zone, in Army recruitment efforts.
The Acting Director of Supply and Transport Services at Army Headquarters, Department of Army Logistics (DOAL),
Brigadier General Wiito Nzidee, disclosed this on Tuesday and urged stakeholders and leaders in Rivers and other zones to motivate their youth to pursue careers in the military.
Nzidee, who was particularly concerned about Rivers, spoke when he led a sensitization team on the ongoing Nigerian Army 88 regular intake for trades/non-tradesmen and women, to Rivers State.
He said the team was in Rivers with the sole aim of sensitising the people on the need to motivate their youths to join the armed forces.
Nzidee lamented that Rivers was leading other states in the south-south with the lowest representation in recent recruitments into the Army, saying Rivers was not utilising its quota in army recruitments
He explained that the COAS was worried by the avoidable underrepresentation, stressing this informed the reason he sent them to visit the state and sensitize the indigenes, and encourage the youths to avail themselves of the opportunities in the ongoing recruitment to join the military.
The Army General also identified the benefits of joining the military to include taking care of soldiers well in the areas of academics, human capacity building/development, and medicine, among others.
He also noted that enlisting the young ones into the army would reduce youths unemployment and crime in the state.
Nzidee said: “The Chief of Army Staff in his wisdom has sent us to carry this message to the nooks and crannies of not just the Niger Delta but of course, Rivers State that you are not utilizing your quota in the Nigerian Army.
“It is the responsibility of every state in Nigeria to contribute to national security. If Rivers State does not utilize its quota the Nigerian Army, who helps the state to contribute to national security? We have to make our contributions by encouraging our youths to join the Army. You must not allow other states to make up your quota, so you don’t cry of marginalisation tomorrow.
“I am here again as a son of the soil that I am to emphasize on the need why our young sons and daughters need to join the army.
“The chief of army staff has carefully selected some Niger Delta officers and has asked us to use the newsmen in the Niger Delta to tell the youths of Niger Delta that they are not filling up their quota in the Nigerian army.
“I want to tell you all here today that the Nigerian army is not cheating on anybody. We are the ones cheating on ourselves because we are not filling up our quota. I was here the last time with the same message and the truth is that if we have met our expectations I am not sure I will be here again with my team for another sensitization meeting.
“This thing we are complaining about is more prominent in the Niger Delta and the Southeast and this has raised the question that why we need to always come here all the time.”
Explaining the mandate of Nzidee,vthe Commander, 6 Division Garrison Command, Brig.-Gen. Sani Ahmed said: “We are gathered here today to have some words directly from the team leader to tell the whole people of Rivers state the aim of his mission here and thereafter he will tour some local government communities to meet and sensitize their young men and women on military career in the Nigerian army.”
In a separate visit to the office of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government by the Nigerian Army sensitization team, SSG Tammy Danagogo pledged to work in collaboration with the Army to drive the message down to the grassroots.
He said: “I want to commend the team and I want to tell you that we have been doing a lot to see that our people key into this army employment and skills development opportunities.
“In my office, we have a desk officer that is assigned that opportunity meaning each time development like this is coming up his job is to make sure they follow up and make sure that the local government chairmen are truly informed. We have sent messages across to the local government councils just so they can also sensitize their people.
“If not for the quick nature of your visit we would have met together with the local government chairmen because they are the ones at the grassroots and would work directly with their people. We notify traditional rulers and the mass media we run jingles and adverts from time to time.
“But one of our people’s complaints is particularly about the Nigeria Defence Academy recruitment. We have brilliant young men and women who are fit whose actual desire is the NDA but they always cry that they are always being overlooked.
“The truth is we don’t always get this kind of advocacy visit when it comes to NDA. We plead you also do this same sensitization when it comes to NDA admissions so that our people will have this complete sense of belonging.”
