The Nigerian Army has raised concerns about the low number of young people from the south-east applying for its current recruitment exercise. Officials say that because of this, the region may lose out on fair representation in the military.

At a recent town hall meeting in Enugu, Chima Ekeator, who leads the 2025 recruitment awareness team, said that the south-east is becoming less represented in the army because fewer people are applying.

He gave an example of Enugu State, which received 200 recruitment slots this year. Sadly, fewer than 100 people from the state applied.

“This keeps happening every year. While other regions fill up their slots, ours are left empty,” Ekeator said. He pointed out that Kaduna State already has over 3,000 applicants, compared to just about 100 in Enugu.

Ekeator encouraged young people from the south-east to take part in the recruitment, saying that each region gets a chance to be fairly represented — but only if they show interest.

He also addressed a popular rumor that Igbo recruits are the first to be sent into dangerous battle zones, leading to more deaths. He called the claims false, saying there’s no special targeting of any ethnic group in deployments.

“There are lies going around that Igbos are sent to the battlefield first and get killed more. That’s not true. Look at us — many Igbos have grown to high ranks in the army,” he said.

Ekeator added that people from the south-east already hold important positions in the military, like Chibueze Ogbuabor, a top commander in charge of equipment.

He encouraged more young people to apply and take up their rightful place in the Nigerian Army.