- Safiu Kehinde
Controversial public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has called for the enlistment of relatives of President Bola Tinubu, Army Chiefs, and heavyweight Nigerian politicians into the army to fight terrorists.
Mahdi made the call in a post shared on his X handle on Saturday.
In what he titled ‘Proposal for the Recruitment of 100,000 Military Personnel’, Mahdi pointed at the dearth of personnel in the Nigeria Armed Forces.
According to him, the population of the force is less than 500,000 as against the over 250 million population across the country.
This, he maintained, had seen the military overstretched and as such calls for the urgent need to recruit.
“It is universally agreed that the ratio of our military men and arms stock to the population in Nigeria is scandalously low and the lowest in the world.
“We have less than 500,000 combined forces in a a population of over 250million.
“It is incontestable that our armed forces are over stretched and poorly equipped.
“Nobody will contest the urgent need to recruit and train more armed military personnel before a rag – tag non state actors run over the entire space of Nigeria.” He wrote.
However, Mahdi, on his mode of recruitment, held that the new recruits should first be gotten from a class of officers and political office holders and appointees who, according to him, must nominate their children, brothers, sisters, cousins or blood relations.
“In the next recruitment and training exercise at the army, Navy, Air Force etc depots, the following class of officers/civilians MUST Nominate their Children, brothers, sisters, cousins or blood relations so that others can key in full heartedly.” He said.
Mahdi held that the recruitment of the office holders’ children, including those of religious leaders and former public office holders, will ensure the standardisation of the military training environment.
“With the involvement of their relations, other Nigerians can surrender their children.
“With their children at the army training depot, the training environment will be standardized, equipment with kits ensured.
“But they cannot send their children to elite NDA training school with all the goodies of life and seek to send children of the poor to be poorly trained and kitted and be killed like a chicken by criminal gangs with better fire power.” He wrote.
The full list as contained in the statemene issued by the public affairs commentator include;
1. All retired and serving Generals, Brig Gen’s, Colonel’s and their equivalent in other forces and security outfits.