Recruitment into Army call to defend Nigeria – COAS to applicants

The Nigerian Army has reiterated that recruitment into the army should not be perceived as employment but as a call to defend the nation’s integrity.

Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier General and Director of Army Public Relations, in a statement on Saturday, said the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya made the observation on Saturday, at Falgore forest, Kano State, venue of recruitment, before flagging off a 10-kilometre endurance run for candidates undergoing screening.

According to Yahaya, the recruitment into the Nigerian Army was to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria, unlike employment in other sectors.

He said the recruitment required applicants with sound health, mentally and physically fit, who are emotionally stable, emphasizing that the exercise required selflessness and, if need be, the supreme sacrifice, adding that it is not a comers’ affair.

He urged the candidates to take the screening seriously, as only the best will emerge in the final enlistment.

Gen Yahaya also admonished personnel conducting the screening exercise to protect their integrity by avoiding any form of compromise.

Responding, the Chief of Administration (Army), Maj Gen Wilson Ali, stated that the progressive provision of infrastructure, such as electricity, potable water, and upgrade of the medical centre, dormitories and lavatories in the centre, enabled a conducive environment to effectively conduct the exercise, just as he assured the COAS of a hitch-free screening exercise