Army Moves To Increase Personnel Intake In Rivers, Delta Commences Sensitisation On Recruitment

The Nigerian Army has commenced a sensitisation campaign in Rivers and Delta to prevent future marginalisation and to boost its regular personnel intake shortfall in the region.

The development followed the low turnout of the youths during the last recruitment exercise where both states fell below their 60 per cent quota.

The situation led to an advocacy visit by the Army to the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

The team, led by Brigadier-General Timmy Mackintosh, said the anomaly is likely not to cause a challenge presently, but in the future.

Mackintosh said, “We are here from the Army headquarters to sensitise Rivers State on the Nigerian Army requirement that is ongoing and the major reason we are doing this is that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja has realised that Rivers and Delta state in the South-South zone are lacking when it comes to recruitment into the Nigerian Army.

“The recruitment that is ongoing is regular intake 86, for 84 and 85 regular intakes, Rivers State, in particular, could not make up 60 per cent of its own quota which today we may not see as a problem.

“But in the next 10, 15, 20 years, it will be a problem because, at that time, we will be the ones shouting we are marginalised.

“So, the Chief of Army staff deemed it fit that we should come and speak to you to assist us in speaking to your indigenes.

“In as much as we are looking to join the Army, the military is not a place where we do not take care of our own, we do take very good care of our own in areas such as uplifting them academically, medically and otherwise.

“One of the requirements for us is a minimum of four credits for those that want to join the army. I can tell you that with those four credits today, there are people who are going for master’s degrees especially for the lower cadre, because the army sent them to school, both in military institutions and even civil.

“I know a lot of my soldiers that the army sponsored them up to their BSc, Masters and some are even doing their PhD. So, it is an opportunity for our people to come, you don’t need to know anybody to join the army. Just make sure you meet the basic criteria.”

On his part, the Secretary to the state, Danagogo, attributed the low turnout of Rivers people to the Army recruitment to ignorance and information gap.