
Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
has said that he made an error while calling for more youths to be
drafted into the Nigerian Army in a bid to adequately tackle the
nation’s security challenges.
While advocating for
national employment and giving an inference for a security policy that
could stem the tides of insurgency, Tinubu asked the Federal Government
to recruit 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army.
Addressing
guests on Monday at the 12th colloquium organised in his honour, the
Asiwaju stated that the recruitment move will help restore peace within
troubled regions and stop miscreants from recruiting young people to do
their biddings.
The former Senator has however stated on Tuesday
that contrary to comments made at the colloquium in Kano where his 69th
birthday was celebrated, his intended recommendation was to have fifty
thousand (50,000) youths recruited into various national security
agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army.
“Asiwaju
seeks the expansion of security personnel by 50,000 for the armed
forces, not the N50 million that was mentioned in error. It was an
accidental verbal mistake of which we all commit from time to time
especially when reciting a series of large numerical figures.
“He did not mean N50 million, which is almost a quarter of our total population.
The
crucial matter is that Asiwaju rightly observed that such strong
recruitment would serve the twin-purpose of helping to tackle
unemployment while at the same time enhancing the security of every
Nigerian.
“Please forgive any confusion due to this innocent
error. The most vital thing is that he set forth a wise and timely
approach that would help us face two of today’s stiffest challenges.
“It
is in the spirit that we hope you view and assess his proposal for it
seeks to provide a way for more youths to participate in building a
greater, safer and more prosperous country,” a communique by Tinubu’s
media aide Tunde Rahman, read.
It further noted that the APC
stalwart canvassed the urgent need to combine employment and national
security policy by the recruitment of 5 million youths in all aspects of
nation-building, ranging from infrastructural development to
agricultural modernization.
The statement also adds that the APC
national leader believes the more job opportunities are presented to
youths, the less some of them will be tempted to delve into illegal and
dangerous activities.
As part of this overall approach, Tinubu
believes that eligible youths should be recruited into the armed forces,
police and other security agencies to augment the functional capacity
of Nigeria’s security apparatus, thus ensuring the better security and
safety of the people.
The 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium marking
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s birthday was a well-attended event that focused on
the important theme of national cohesion during these challenging
times.
This was the first time the colloquium was held in the ancient and important city of Kano.
According
to the APC Chieftain, the choice of venue was most appropriate given
the theme and the underlying objective of highlighting the oneness of
the country and the need for unity so that Nigeria may attain its best
destiny.