Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has commended the Delta State administration’s commitment to youth enlistment into military and paramilitary services in Nigeria.
The head of the Nigerian Army, who made this commendation over the weekend, noted that since Governor Sheriff Oborevwori assumed office there has been a significant increase in the number of applicants and recruits into the Army from Delta State.
Lt General Oluyede was speaking when members of the Delta State Awareness Creation Committee on Youth Enlistment into Military and Paramilitary Services paid him a courtesy visit at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by the Chief of Administration of the Nigerian Army, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, praised Oborevwori for his visionary and pragmatic leadership, especially for the strategic steps taken by the state government to ensure that Delta fully utilised her quota in recent Army recruitments.
He gave the state government a pass mark for setting up a special committee on youth enlistment into military and paramilitary services, thereby reinforcing the engagement of youth and stakeholders through result-oriented awareness campaigns and effective media publicity across the state.
The Chief of Army Staff charged the committee members not to relent in their collective efforts to encourage eligible youth in Delta State to participate actively in all enlistment and recruitment exercises into the military, assuring that a level playing field would be sustained to ensure that all applicants are treated equally and with the highest degree of transparency.
“I am delighted to receive you today. I thank His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, for his visible commitment in the area of youth enlistments into the Army and other sister services since he assumed office.
“The number of recruits from Delta is encouraging, especially in this administration led by Governor Oborevwori. It is heartwarming that our series of visits to Delta State in respect of recruitment exercises is yielding positive results. Please, keep the flag flying, we want the committee to do more,” he added.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth Development and Chairman of the Delta State Awareness Creation Committee on Youth Enlistment into Military and Paramilitary Services, Barrister ThankGod Trakiriowei Harry, said the visit was to brief the COAS about the committee’s assigned responsibilities, as well as introduce its members to the Army high command as directed by the State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
He disclosed that the activities of the State Awareness Creation Committee on Youth Enlistment into Military and Paramilitary Services are keenly supervised by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Eze Emu, adding that in the last Army Regular Recruits intake, the state met her quota and shall sustain the feat in the 90th Regular Recruits intake expected to begin on 30 September 2025.
In the same vein, the Director-General of the Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Dr (Barr) Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, told the COAS that the committee’s several strategic engagements with Delta youth, traditional rulers, faith-based organisations, local government chairmen, as well as sensitisation campaigns in the mass media and through local town criers, had to a large extent increased the number of applicants and youth enlistments into military and paramilitary services.
The Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Political and Security Services, Mr Theophilus Chukwudi Aguonye, in his vote of thanks on behalf of the state government and the committee, described Lt Gen Oluyede as a patriotic Nigerian and an experienced general who has brought to bear his wealth of experience, as seen in the remarkable achievements of the Nigerian Army in several critical national assignments and in securing and protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity as the giant of Africa.
He thanked the COAS for receiving members of the committee at short notice and for his kind hospitality, while also recognising the invaluable efforts of the Chief of Administration, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, in ensuring that the committee received all necessary assistance and support before and during the visit.
The state committee members on the visit to COAS Oluyede are: Barrister ThankGod Trakiriowei Harry (Commissioner for Youth Development/Committee Chairman), Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe Esq (Director-General, Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications/Committee Spokesperson), Dr Ngozi Mogbolu (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development/Committee Secretary), Rev Cyril Okonye (CAN Representative), Chief Alfred Origbo (Executive Secretary, Delta State Traditional Rulers Council), and Mr Emmanuel Egodo (Directorate of Political and Security Services).
After the visit to the COAS at the Army Headquarters in Abuja, the delegation departed for the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, where they celebrated with the 24 cadets of Delta State origin at the 72nd Regular Course Passing Out Parade and Official Commissioning of Cadets as Officers by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.