The Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria, Lieutenant General Tukur
Yusuf Buratai, on Wednesday said the army will soon embark on the recruitment
of Nigerian youths into the force to enable it to fight insurgency in the
northeast of the country.
Buratai, who was represented by Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Akpan,
the Director Directorate of Army Recruitment, Resettlement and Reserve, DARRR,
made this known during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief
David Umahi at the exco-Chambers Government House, Abakaliki.
According to him: “The normal army that was trained to
engage particularly in conventional warfare are having a lot of problems as you
can see in the North-Eastern region. So, recently the Chief of Army instituted
Special Forces concept; a special skill that you can use to fight war.
“This special training will now be integrated in every
training in the Nigerian Army. So, this means that anybody that is recruited in
the Nigerian Army with effect from now, will have to go through that
process. It is a tough training, it requires a lot of
physical and mental fitness. So, we need young men and women who are physically
fit”, he noted.
He noted that those from the age of 16 and above would be
employed in the Nigerian Army with four credits including English and
Mathematics in not more than two sittings, urged the youths of Ebonyi state to
massively apply for recruitment into the Army when its portal opens for
recruitments which he said will soon commence.
In a swift reaction, the Governor Chief David Umahi, who was
represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, decried shortchanging of the
people of the state in the recruitment of the Nigerian Army.
He alleged that people from other parts of the country
usually take up the identity of Ebonyi people and take all the state quota in
any army recruitment.
“Before our ascension into office, what had obtained in the
southeast particularly in Ebonyi state is that people have been shortchanged in
the army. They will pull out en-mass for recruitment and after they had
returned home jubilating that they are going to be recruited in the army that
the report on them is favorable for their engagement in the military.
“The story will be that only two or three of them are
engaged and when you go to look at the list, you will discover that men from
other region will answer Ebonyi state name, take up the identity of our people
and take the quota that is meant and reserved
for Ebonyi state.
“We are not happy with such unpleasant situations and I
believed that our governor has complained severally about it. We think that having
men like you and the Chief of Army Staff will resolve such intractable problem
that we have been having in Ebonyi State”, he said.
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