The Nigerian Army has expressed disappointment over the poor response of Southeast youths to the ongoing recruitment into the establishment.
The Army revealed that while Kaduna State has recorded over 3,000 applications, Enugu State is still struggling with just 100.
This was disclosed by the leader of the 2025 Army recruitment enlightenment team, Brigadier General Chima Ekeator.
Ekeator made the revelation during an enlightenment Town Hall meeting with Local Government Chairmen, Traditional Rulers, Presidents-general of town unions, and leaders of thought, in Sunday.
Speaking at the event, 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.
“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 100.
“And by the time we will be through with screening, you will not have enough to recruit from the State.
“There are a lot of falsehoods out there 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.”
In his remark, the Enugu State Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Lloyd Ekweremadu, decried the development.
He noted that the problem had persisted despite the collective efforts to reverse the trend.
“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,” Ekweremadu said.
He, however, reiterated Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to ensuring that Enugu State filled its quota. This is as he described the military as a noble and highly respected profession across the world.