The Nigerian Army (NA) has asked Rivers State’s good citizens to enlist in large numbers for the NA’s current 84 Regular-Recruit-Intake (RRI). The call was made by Major-General Ibrahim Jallo, Director of Manpower Planning at Army Headquarters (AHQ) Department of Administration while leading a team that was visiting Mr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Rivers State.
Lieutenant Colonel Iweha Ikedichi, Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations 6 Division, Nigerian Army, gave this statement to journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, expressed concern that Rivers State was not achieving its quota for new recruits to the Nigerian Army, which prompted Major-General Jallo to visit the state government, according to Major-General Jallo.
The Chief of Army Staff added that if the situation wasn’t resolved immediately, Rivers State wouldn’t receive the representation they were entitled to in the Nigerian Army.
General Jallo who was representing the COAS continued by saying that the situation required the State Government to be involved in order to inform its citizens of the proper method for subscribing in order to fulfill its designated quota after observing a decline in the number of applications from Rivers State in the previous three recruitment processes.
In response, the state’s secretary, Mr. Tammy Danagogo, expressed his indignation at learning that Rivers State had not been paying its fair share toward the Nigerian Army in compliance with the federal-character requirements. He asserted that the COAS’s choice to take the initiative in the conversation with the Rivers State Government was a sign of his admiration for the region and its people.
The SSG assured the crowd that every effort would be made to encourage Rivers State citizens to enroll in huge numbers for the ongoing 84 RRI. The SSG thanked the team for traveling as well as the Chief of Army Staff for the sensitization.