The army has raised the alarm over the poor enlistment of South East youths into the military, and has called for a change of attitude to reverse the trend.
According to the Army, while Kaduna State had recorded over 3,000 applications in the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise, Enugu State was still struggling with just 100, noting that the story is not different with other South East states.
It called on South East youths to apply in their numbers in the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise to fill their quotas.
The army made the call in Enugu during an enlightenment town hall meeting with local government council chairmen, traditional rulers, presidents-general of town unions, and other community and thought leaders at the weekend.
Leader of the 2025 army recruitment enlightenment team, Brig. Gen. Chima Ekeator, said “our people are losing what rightly belongs to them. Each year, whenever a slot is being allocated to our people, we keep noticing that the number of applicants from our side is usually very poor.
“Take for example, Enugu State was given about 200 slots, but the people who made it were never up to 100 due to poor application. This has also become a recurring decimal in other states in the South East.
“Today’s statistics on the number of applicants show that Kaduna has about 3,000 applicants, while Enugu is still battling with about a hundred; and by the time we will be through with screening, you will not have enough to recruit from the state.”
He refuted the allegation that people of South East origin were being killed in their numbers in the army because they were the first to be sent to the battle fronts.
He added that the region was presently holding strategic positions in the army.
Read also: Army chief tasks troops on selflessness
“There are a lot of falsehoods out there stating that the Igbo are being killed because they are the first to be sent to the battlefield.
“These things are not true. After all, we that are here have risen high in the army and we are telling you that they are lies.
“Today in the Nigerian Army, our brother is one of the top commanders in -charge of equipment. His name is Chibueze Ogbuabor,” he said.
Enugu State Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Lloyd Ekweremadu, regretted that the problem had persisted despite the collective efforts to reverse the trend.
The commissioner called for a review of the modes of advertising the opportunities in the army and the need to provide more details about the benefits of serving in the army.
“While seated here, I was just trying to conduct very quick research, and it appears this same problem is happening worldwide.
“Militaries across the world are deploying more cutting-edge strategies for recruitment because we are talking about the new generation that you communicate in a different way from the past,” he stated.
He reiterated Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to ensuring that the state filled its quota, describing the military as a noble and highly respected profession across the world.
Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, (ALGON), Okechukwu Edeh, pledged a stronger cooperation of the local government councils, but called on the military high command to equally address concerns of the people to make the service more appealing to the youths.
State Coordinator, Presidents-General of Enugu State Town Unions, Arinze Ogbodo, former Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu and the traditional ruler of Nomeh Unataeze, Lt. Col. Israel Mbah (rtd.), called on the youths to enlist in the army, while stressing the need for more enlightenment.
“I was a military man before. I survived every war. I did mine and today, I am a traditional ruler. So, I believe that our young people should join the force,” Lt. Col. Mbah (rtd.) stated.
