A sizeable number of soldiers in the Army are unwilling to engage in counter-terrorism and anti-banditry operations across the country, the Service has admitted in an internal memo dated August 6.
The memo, which was sent to all Army divisions, units and establishments across the country, notified them about the review of minimum education qualification for enlistment into the service.
Prior to this development, the minimum qualification, according to the NA Administrative Policies and Procedures 2015 (Revised), was four credits, including English in a sitting of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) or its O-level equivalent.
But in the memo signed by Army’s Chief of Policy and Plans, Lt.-Gen Lamidi Adeosun and sighted by The Nation, the service said it was putting passion and commitment to what a soldier stands for ahead of educational qualification.
It reads: “Recruitment is a routine exercise aimed at sourcing manpower for the NA. It is meant to select able bodied men and women to serve as soldiers in the NA.
“The extant provisions of Article 2 of Reference A (NA Administrative Policies and Procedures 2015 (Revised)) deals with issues related to enlistment into the NA and Paragraph 10c of Article 2 specifies that the minimum educational qualification for enlistment into the NA is the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) or equivalent with a minimum of 4 credits at O/Level including English Language.
“It has however been observed that a sizeable number of enlisted men and women are reluctant to dedicate themselves to the ongoing NA operations against insurgents and bandits.
“They prefer instead to pursue other less risky endeavours or further their education in view of possessing their requisite educational qualification to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
“This is all in a bid to avoid participating in NA operations which ought to be a priority. This undesirable trend could be attributed to the emphasis placed on educational qualifications at the expense of passion and commitment to what a soldier stands for.
“Consequently, I am directed to convey that henceforth, the minimum educational qualification for enlistment into the NA shall be the SSCE or its equivalent with minimum of 4 passes including English Language.
“This review would ensure that more willing and committed young Nigerians are given the opportunity to serve in the NA without laying emphasis on their educational qualifications…”
The development is causing disquiet among the order ranks of the army with soldiers alleging the ultimate aim was to pave way for so-called repentant terrorists to be enlisted into the service.
Several calls to Army spokesman, Colonel Sagir Musa, were not answered.
He also did not respond to text message requesting reaction at the time of filing this report.