Come And Serve Your Father’s Land – Nigerian Army Urges S’East Youths to Join Military Recruitment
The Nigerian Army has called on youths from the South-East region to participate more actively in its recruitment exercises, expressing concern over the low number of applicants from the area.
The appeal was made during a civil-military awareness programme held in Umuahia, Abia State, where military officials and community leaders discussed opportunities within the armed forces.
Speaking at the event, retired Major General Gold Chibuisi urged young people in the region to reconsider military service and take advantage of the various career paths available in the Nigerian Army. According to him, the army offers professional opportunities beyond combat roles, including careers in medicine, law, engineering, and other specialised fields.
Chibuisi also addressed concerns that soldiers from certain regions are unfairly treated or disproportionately deployed to dangerous battle zones. He described such claims as misconceptions that have discouraged many young people from the South-East from joining the military.
Other speakers at the event also expressed concern about the region’s low participation in recruitment exercises. Retired Major General Chukwunedum Abraham noted that statistics from recent recruitment exercises showed relatively low application numbers from some South-East states compared with other parts of the country.
The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs of the Nigerian Army, Major General Musa Awwal Etsu-Ndagi, explained that the awareness campaign was designed to educate youths and community leaders about opportunities in the military and to address misconceptions about army service.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who was represented at the programme, also encouraged youths in the state to consider joining the armed forces, stressing that the state should not continue to rank among those with the lowest enlistment figures.
The Nigerian Army has repeatedly raised concerns about low enlistment from the South-East, noting that the trend could lead to underrepresentation of the region in the military if it continues.
