‘Massive Youth Recruitment Drive Needed to Tackle Insecurity’ — Buratai
By Matthew Eloyi
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd), has called for the recruitment of 50,000 young Nigerians annually into the Armed Forces over the next five years as part of a broader national strategy to combat insecurity and strengthen national unity.
Buratai made the recommendation while delivering a lecture at the University of Ilorin, where he warned that Nigeria’s worsening security challenges require urgent reforms that go beyond conventional military operations.
Speaking on the topic of national security and the role of youths in nation-building, the retired army chief said the country must adopt a “whole-of-society” security framework that combines military action with economic inclusion, intelligence gathering, civic participation, and social development.
According to him, Nigeria’s growing population of unemployed and frustrated youths has become a major vulnerability that criminal networks, insurgent groups, and extremist organisations continue to exploit.
“When these aspirations are frustrated, youth become a recruitment pool for insecurity. When cultivated, they become Nigeria’s first line of defence,” Buratai said.
He identified security, employment, justice, national belonging, and civic relevance as the major aspirations of Nigerian youths, stressing that addressing those needs is critical to long-term peace and stability.
Buratai proposed what he described as a “Massive Youth Recruitment Drive,” recommending transparent and merit-based enlistment of 50,000 young Nigerians annually into the Armed Forces while complying strictly with the minimum recruitment age of 18 years.
He argued that such a strategy would not only strengthen Nigeria’s security capacity but also reduce unemployment and provide young people with valuable skills, discipline, and career opportunities.
The former army chief also proposed a “National Youth Service for Security,” which would introduce 12 months of mandatory civic security training for tertiary institution graduates as an alternative to aspects of the current NYSC structure.
He said the programme could help prepare young Nigerians for intelligence gathering, community defence, emergency response, and national security awareness.
Buratai further recommended the establishment of state-level intelligence fusion centres involving the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), and local vigilante groups to improve information sharing and coordinated responses to security threats.
In addition, he advocated the creation of a Defence Industrial Corps that would engage Nigerian youths in the local production of drones, armoured vehicles, and small arms under the DICON Act of 2023.
According to him, Nigeria must reduce dependence on imported defence equipment while developing indigenous military manufacturing capacity.
The former army chief also called for the introduction of a national counter-radicalisation curriculum in secondary and tertiary institutions, warning that military force alone cannot defeat extremist ideologies.
“Military force alone cannot defeat an ideology,” he stated, stressing the need for education, civic orientation, and social inclusion in addressing insecurity.
Buratai noted that Nigeria could learn from countries such as Colombia and Sri Lanka, which combined military operations with political engagement, intelligence coordination, and socio-economic reforms to confront insurgency and separatist violence.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s security history, he said the Armed Forces had evolved significantly from their colonial origins into one of Africa’s most active military institutions, participating in peacekeeping and counter-insurgency operations across the continent.
He highlighted Nigeria’s interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia, describing Nigerian troops as key contributors to regional peace and stability.
Domestically, Buratai acknowledged that Nigeria continues to face complex threats including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, separatist agitations, cybercrime, piracy, oil theft, and farmer-herder conflicts.
He also expressed concern over growing instability in the Sahel region and the activities of extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda operating across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
According to him, the withdrawal of some Sahel countries from ECOWAS has weakened regional security cooperation and increased pressure on Nigeria’s borders.
Despite these challenges, Buratai insisted that Nigeria’s security problems are not insurmountable if government institutions, communities, and youths work together.
He stressed that laws and national security strategies alone would not guarantee peace without implementation, political commitment, and citizen participation.
“The constitutional mandate alone cannot defend the nation,” he said.
Drawing lessons from the Nigerian Civil War, Buratai argued that while military force can suppress violent threats, sustainable peace depends on justice, inclusion, and development.
He ended the lecture with a direct appeal to Nigerian youths to see the Armed Forces as a noble institution capable of shaping both personal and national development.
“Your country needs your brains, your brawn, and your bravery. Enlist, engage, and secure your future,” he said.
