Sen. Gbenga Daniel, a former Governor of Ogun, Tuesday in Abeokuta bemoaned the low rate of enlistment of people from the South-West of Nigeria into the military and paramilitary services.
Daniel, representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, raised his concern during the “Dialogue with Journalists”, an event organised by the Ogun Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He said the South-West was seriously lagging behind in number in the military.
“The South-West is lagging behind in enlistment into the military and paramilitary, especially the Navy and Police.”
Daniel, who is popularly referred to as OGD and is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, urged parents to stop discouraging their wards from joining the military and the Police.
“The military service, which was labelled as a job suitable only for the ‘miscreants’ by parents in the 1960s and 1970s, has produced leaders in both politics and economy in the country.
“As the Chairman, the Senate Committee on the Navy and a member of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, it is painful to see few candidates from the South-West expressing interest in enlisting into the Navy and the Police.”
He said parents must encourage and motivate their children to pursue careers in the military.
Daniel pointed out that individuals who were brave enough to join the military before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960 were the ones directly and indirectly controlling the country’s affairs now.
“We were discouraged from enlisting in the military by our parents and grandparents, tagging it as a job for the miscreants in the society.
“As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Navy, I have seen first-hand our people’s lackadaisical approach to the enlistment into this noble service.
“A lot of positive things are happening in the Nigerian Navy on a daily basis, and I want to urge parents to stop discouraging their wards from joining the military and paramilitary services,” the former governor said.
On his stewardship in the last one year in the Senate, Daniel said he had presented no fewer than 11 bills, and disclosed that he is a member of 14 other Senate Committees.
He listing some of the bills he presented to include those on the College of Aviation Technology in Ilara Remo, Terminal Illness Trust Fund and Media Practitioners Registration Council.
Others are those on the Border Communities Development Agency (Amendment) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure Act, among others.