The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya has stated that recruitment into the Nigerian Army should not be perceived as an employment opportunity, as is the case in other conventional endeavours of life but a call to duty.
He made the observation yesterday shortly before flagging-off a 10-kilometre endurance-run for candidates undergoing screening to qualify for the 84 regular recruits’ intake into the Nigerian Army (NA) at the Nigerian Army Battle Fitness Centre (NABFC) in Falgore Forest, Kano State.
In a statement by the director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, the COAS explained that unlike other professions, recruitment into the NA is a national call to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria and therefore requires citizens who are not only physically and medically fit, but also mentally and emotionally stable.
He noted that it is not a job opportunity but a call to national service, as it requires selflessness and if need be, the supreme sacrifice, stressing that it is not an all-comers’ affair.
He therefore advised the candidates to take the screening seriously as only the best would emerge in the final enlistment.
The Army chief also admonished personnel conducting the screening exercise to protect their integrity by avoiding any form of compromise.
Briefing Gen Yahaya on the screening exercise, the chief of Administration (Army), Maj Gen Wilson Ali, stated that the progressive provision of infrastructure such as electricity, potable water, upgrade of medical centre, dormitories and lavatories in the centre enabled a conducive environment to effectively conduct the exercise.
He assured him of a hitch-free screening exercise.
Yahaya later embarked on a tour of the facility and paid a visit to candidates who were receiving attention at the medical centre.
