Posted by The Nigerian Army has emphasized that joining the army should not be seen as employment but rather as a vocation to protect the integrity of the country.
Brigadier General and Director of Army Public Relations Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement on Saturday that Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), made the observation on Saturday at the Falgore Forest in Kano State, the location of recruitment, before starting a 10-kilometer endurance run for applicants undergoing screening.
In contrast to employment in other industries, Yahaya claimed that recruiting into the Nigerian Army was done in order to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
He emphasized that the exercise required selflessness and, if necessary, the ultimate sacrifice and added that it is not a comer’s affair, saying that the recruiting required applicants with solid health, mental and physical fitness, who are emotionally stable.
He urged the applicants to treat the interview process seriously because only the best would be chosen for the final enlisting.
Gen Yahaya also cautioned the screening exercise’s participants to safeguard their integrity by avoiding any kind of compromise.
In response, Maj Gen Wilson Ali, Chief of Administration (Army), said that the provision of infrastructure over time—such as electricity and potable water—as well as the upgrading of the medical center, dormitories, and restrooms in the center, enabled a conducive environment to effectively conduct the exercise. He also assured the COAS that the screening exercise would go off without a hitch.