The Nigerian Army has raised concern over the poor turnout of applicants from the south-east in its 2025 recruitment exercise.
Brigadier-General Chima Ekeator, who is leading the Army’s recruitment enlightenment team, disclosed the figures during a sensitisation event in Enugu on Sunday.
He said while Kaduna State has recorded over 3,000 applications, Enugu has received only about 100.
Ekeator urged young people in the region to seize the opportunity and fill the recruitment slots allocated to their states.
He 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 are through with screening, you will not have enough to recruit from the state.”
He dismissed claims that Igbo soldiers were being killed in large numbers because they were often deployed first to battlefronts.
He said, “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.”
Lloyd Ekweremadu, commissioner for youth and sports development, said the low enlistment numbers have persisted despite efforts to reverse the trend.
He called for better strategies in publicising military career opportunities and educating the public on their benefits.
He said, “While seated here, I was just trying to conduct very quick research and it appears this same problem is happening worldwide and 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 described the military as “a noble and highly respected profession across the world”.
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