The Nigerian Army has called on youths in Abia State and across the South-East to heed what it described as a national call to service by joining the military and contributing to national development.
Naijaonpoint reports that the appeal was made on Thursday in Umuahia during the maiden edition of an awareness campaign organised by the Department of Civil-Military Affairs of the Nigerian Army.
The programme, which brought together youths, traditional rulers and civil society groups, was aimed at sensitising participants on career opportunities in the Army while addressing misconceptions surrounding military service.
Delivering a lecture at the event, the guest speaker, Maj. Gen. Gold Chibuisi (retd.), encouraged youths from the South-East to stop avoiding military careers and instead take advantage of the numerous professional opportunities available in the Nigerian Army.
According to him, the Army offers careers beyond combat roles, including opportunities in medicine, law, engineering and other professional fields.
He also dismissed claims that soldiers from certain parts of the country are unfairly profiled or deliberately deployed to dangerous battlefronts.
Chibuisi said such narratives had discouraged many young people from the region from joining the Army.
He assured the audience that officers and soldiers from the South-East would not be denied promotion or welfare benefits in the military.
The retired general also appealed to parents in the region to encourage their children to consider a career in the armed forces.
Also speaking at the event, Maj. Gen. Chukwunedum Abraham (retd.) expressed concern over the low number of applicants from South-East states during recent Army recruitment exercises.
He revealed that statistics from the last recruitment exercise showed that Imo State recorded only 671 applicants, while Ebonyi State had just 428 applicants.
Abraham lamented that the figures were significantly lower compared with those from other geopolitical zones in the country.
The retired officer said the development underscored the need for sustained engagement with communities in the region to encourage more youths to participate in military recruitment.
In his remarks, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Musa Awwal Etsu-Ndagi, said the awareness programme was designed to sensitise youths and opinion leaders about the opportunities available in the Army.
He explained that the initiative also sought to address misconceptions and fears that might discourage young people from joining the military.
Etsu-Ndagi expressed optimism that the campaign would help improve participation from the South-East in future recruitment exercises.
Alex Otti Urges Abia Youths To Enlist
Speaking at the programme, Abia State Governor Alex Otti reiterated his call on youths in the state to consider joining the Nigerian Army.
The governor said Abia should not continue to rank among the states with the lowest enlistment figures in the military and other security agencies.
Otti expressed concern that recruitment forms made available to Abia State in recent years had attracted only a small number of applicants.
He, however, expressed optimism that the awareness campaign would help change the narrative.
The governor assured that his administration would support initiatives aimed at encouraging more youths from the state to take advantage of opportunities within the Nigerian Army.