The Nigerian Army has expressed concern over the low turnout of youths from the Southeast in its ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise, urging a change in attitude to reverse the trend.
While states like Kaduna have already recorded over 3,000 applications, Enugu State is reportedly lagging behind with barely 100 applicants.
The Army noted that similar poor responses are being observed across other Southeastern states.
The call for increased participation was made during an enlightenment town hall meeting in Enugu with local government chairmen, traditional rulers, town union presidents-general, and other community leaders.
Brigadier-General Chima Ekeator, who leads the 2025 Army Recruitment Enlightenment Team, lamented the situation, saying: “Our people are losing what rightly belongs to them. Each year, whenever a slot is allocated to our region, the number of applicants is usually very low.”
He urged Southeast youths to seize the opportunity by applying in large numbers to ensure the region fully benefits from its allotted recruitment slots.
“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 Southeast.
“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.”
Read Also: Army intercepts illicit substance in Ogun
He refuted the allegation that people of Southeast origin were being killed in their numbers in the army because they were the first to be sent to the battle fronts.
Ekeator added that the region was also holding strategic positions in the army presently.
“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.
The Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu, regretted that the problem had persisted despite the collective efforts to reverse the trend and called for a review of modes of advertising the opportunities and the need to provide more details about the benefits of serving in the Army.
“While seated here, I was just trying to conduct a 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 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.
On his part, the chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria(ALGON), Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, pledged even stronger cooperation of the Local Government Council, but called on the military high command to equally address any concerns of the people to make the service more appealing to the youths.
The State Coordinator, Presidents-General of Enugu State Town Unions, Hon. Arinze Ogbodo; former Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu and the traditional ruler of Nomeh Unataeze, Lieutenant Colonel Israel Mbah (rtd.), called on the youths to enlist in the Army, but stressed 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 (Retd.) stated.