The low turnout of Igbo youths in the ongoing army recruitment exercise has been attributed to historical grievances and systemic marginalisation.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian Army disclosed that only 200 persons from the South-East were registered and begged Igbo youths to take part in the exercise to fill the region’s quota.
“This programme is necessary because, according to records, only 200 persons have registered from the South-East, while in other states, not less than 4000 persons have registered”, leader of Army Force Headquarters Recruitment Sensitisation Team, Anambra, Brig.-Gen. Chima Ekeator, had said.
Reacting to concerns raised by the Ekeator, Igbo leaders posited that the lingering effects of the Biafra war and perceived injustices meted out to the region have seemingly created a sense of distrust among Igbo youths towards federal institutions, including the military.
Lending his voice, the founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, noted that the lack of interest by Igbo youths was not only in the Army but also in the Police and other federal institutions.
“It’s sad that the lack of interest is being noticed now, it has been there since the end of the Nigerian-Biafran war”, Okorie stated.
Impossible bribes
According to him, after the civil war, Igbo young men and women who applied for job opportunities like other Nigerians were not recruited, and in some cases, recruiting officers would demand impossible bribes from the Igbo applicants.
This, he explained, made many youths lose interest, believing that government jobs like the police and the military were not meant for them. “Gradually, Ndigbo began to look for other means of gainful employment other than federal institutions. So, I am not surprised.”
On what should be done to reverse the tide, the APGA chieftain said: “What the government should do if they are really interested in Igbo people taking up their quota, is to assure them that they will be given the same level playing ground like other people. They will have to make more effort in convincing our youths”.
Last-minute
Also speaking, former President of an Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, said the youth do not see the armed forces as a credible body for which they can enlist and be ready to die for.
Uwazurike said: “Right now, in Igbo land, the youth fear the armed forces and the police more than they fear the criminal gangs. The armed forces must do more to assure the youth that the armed forces and the police are in Igbo land for the good of the people.
“The military must be seen as such to be a source of pride for the nations. The same youth eagerly join the armed forces of other countries such as the USA, UK and even Ukraine. Military enlistment must be seen as a professional engagement rather than a last-minute one. In other words, the military must be the pride of the nation”.
Volatile areas
Meanwhile, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, said a prevailing notion among young people in the region is that enlistees from the region are disproportionately deployed to volatile areas in the North East, particularly regions affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
According to Comrade Goodluck Ibem, President General of COSEYL, this perception has created fear and discouragement, as many believe that such deployments significantly increase the risk of casualties among soldiers from the South East.
He listed a combination of historical, political, and socio-cultural factors contributing to the hesitancy among Igbo youths to join the military and other security agencies.
He said: “A common sentiment among South East youths is that recruits from their region are more likely to be deployed to high-risk zones, particularly the North East, where Boko Haram and other insurgent groups remain active. This belief — whether fully accurate or not — has been reinforced by stories of young Igbo soldiers losing their lives in these areas. Many see this as an unfair and deliberate pattern, making military service seem like a death sentence rather than an honourable career.
“Many families that lived through the war passed down their distrust for the Nigerian military and federal institutions. This generational trauma has fostered a reluctance among many to serve in a force they feel has historically marginalised their people.
“Ironically, the rising insecurity within the South East has also become a deterrent. With the activities of unknown gunmen, violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders, and general tension around military presence, some young people fear being targeted by their communities for joining the army as being a soldier in the region is sometimes seen as betraying local causes or siding with an oppressive system.”
He further noted that youth in the Southeast often express frustration with what they perceive as systemic bias in recruitment, promotion, and recognition within the military.
“The reluctance of South East youths to join the Nigerian Army is deeply rooted in complex layers of perception, history, and socio-political dynamics. Addressing this issue will require more than just recruitment drives. It demands genuine efforts at national reconciliation, equal representation, transparent military policies, and strategic community engagement to rebuild trust and foster patriotism across all regions”, Ibem stated.
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