No fewer than 5,000 youths have already applied for enlistment into the Nigerian Army in the ongoing recruitment exercise, a reliable military source has disclosed.
The source said the applications done on line as directed by the authority is from youths across the country, but with the North having the highest number.
Although Army headquarters described the response to the call for application as overwhelming, it refused to
give the exact figure of applications received so far. It’s reason for the secrecy is “security”.
A source close to the Military Secretary, Army, which was responsible for the recruitment, told Saturday Mirror that the figure was on the rise on a daily basis, as more youths have continued to file their entries online for the army jobs.
The Director of Army Public Relations, DAPR, Brig-Gen Olajide Laleye, who also refused to give an exact figure, told Saturday Mirror that the figure kept changing per second since it was online. “ I cannot give you figures for now. These things (application) come and it (figure) changes per seconds, it is online.
I cannot give you figures for now. All I can say is that the response is overwhelming”, Laleye said. After declaring its desire to recruit abled bodied young men in the country, the Nigerian Army had also made it clear that it was recruiting the youths specifically for the war against Boko Haram in the North East.
In spite of the warning that only those who ready for the course should volunteer, it was reported that there had been serious rush by youths in the country for the job. The Nigerian Army has described the rush as patriotic, expressing joy that the youths still believe in their country and her armed forces.
