FIC Report (Abia State) – The Nigerian Army, through its Department of Civil-Military Affairs, has intensified efforts to boost enlistment across the South-East, launching a strategic awareness campaign aimed at correcting misconceptions and encouraging greater youth participation in military service.
At the maiden sensitisation programme held in Umuahia, the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General Musa Awwal Etsu-Ndagi, explained that the initiative was designed to educate youths, traditional rulers, and civil society groups on the numerous career opportunities available within the Army, while also addressing long-standing concerns about recruitment, welfare, and deployment.
Supporting the campaign, retired senior military officers lent their voices to reassure the public.
Major General Gold Chibuisi, who delivered a lecture titled “Guardian of the Nation: A Clarion Call,” urged South-East youths to embrace military service, highlighting career paths in medicine, law, engineering, and other professional fields. He dismissed fears of ethnic profiling and dangerous postings targeted at specific regions, assuring that welfare, promotions, and opportunities in the Army are based on merit and due process.
Also speaking, Major General Chukwunedum Abraham revealed alarming statistics from recent recruitment exercises, noting that only 671 applicants emerged from Imo State and 428 from Ebonyi State, figures he described as significantly low compared to other geopolitical zones.
He called for a change in attitude to ensure the region is adequately represented in the nation’s security architecture.
In a goodwill message, Abia State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Maureen Ahukwa, commended the initiative, describing the Army as a dynamic and inclusive institution offering opportunities for both men and women across diverse sectors including information technology, logistics, administration, and healthcare.
She stressed that Nigeria’s future depends on disciplined and visionary youths willing to serve as custodians of peace and national development.
Building on the Federal Government-led initiative, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, reiterated his administration’s commitment to reversing the state’s poor enlistment record.
He expressed concern that Abia has consistently ranked among states with the lowest number of applicants in military recruitment exercises.
Governor Otti urged youths in the state to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the ongoing sensitisation campaign, assuring that his government would collaborate with the military to improve participation levels and change the prevailing narrative.
The awareness campaign marks a renewed push by the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to strengthen national unity, promote inclusiveness, and ensure balanced representation of all regions within the armed forces.
Abiakam Gloria Ify HOC FIC Umuahia Abia State.
31st- 03-2026
