Insecurity: Defence HQ Flags Off ‘Operation Brain Gain’ to woo secondary students into Armed Forces

 Insecurity: Defence HQ Flags Off ‘Operation Brain Gain’ to woo secondary students into Armed Forces

In its determined effort to attract Nigerian youths into the military service, the Defence Headquarters, said yesterday, it has concluded arrangements to embark on sensitization tour of 111 (one hundred & eleven) selected secondary schools across the six geo-political zones with a view to wooing students with the brightest brains into joining the armed forces.

The Director; Civil-Military Affairs at the Defence Headquarters, Major General Richard Duru, who disclosed this in Abuja, while addressing newsmen on the development said the exercise was aimed at creating awareness and increasing interest among youths for enlistment into the military.

Gen. Duru explained that the program tagged ‘Exercise Brain Gain’, was specifically targeting SS3 students in the secondary schools earmarked for the visit.

Noting the exercise was at instance of Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin,  Duru said that consequent on the experiences ganarned from the war on terror and the present modernization efforts of the military, there is need to build a pool of competent personnel to evolve in future.

He said, “The exercise will see us visit various secondary schools in all the geo-political zones of the country. A total of 111 secondary schools have been earmarked for this visit. Many of the schools have been deliberately selected from the rural communities most of whom have little or no knowledge about the military.”

“The purpose of ‘Exercise Brain Gain’ “is to sensitize and expose our secondary school students to the military profession with the hope of attracting the brightest brains into the Armed Forces.

“The target audience is the SS3 students. We have also observed in recent times that many states are unable to fill their quota into the Armed Forces and this exercise is aimed at increasing the recruitment and enlistment drive in those states.

“We shall talk to the students on the career prospect in the military, the benefits of military service, terms and condition of service, citizenship, patriotism, enlistment and recruitment processes into the Armed Forces as well as the roles of the Armed Forces.

Furthermore, Duru said, “With the ever changing security environment and the numerous internal security crises confronting the nation, the Armed Forces of Nigeria have continued to deliver its mandate by ensuring the security of life and property as well as the protection of economic and critical national infrastructure.

“As warfare continues to evolve, military forces will keep demanding high quality manpower to confront the array of complex security situations. Military equipment is becoming more lethal, accurate and smart.

“To acquire the desired capability, a pool of competent personnel is required to man the varied high-tech military formations, arsenals and equipment.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria is aware the manpower is a key capability of an effective military. It therefore, lays much emphasis in its enlistment and recruitment process.   

“We all know that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is a voluntary service, thus enlistment into the military is voluntary 100 percent voluntary; therefore, the Armed Forces continue to woo and attract up and coming Nigerians into military service.”

ENDS.