BlueprintJan 3, 2024 3:58 AM

Youths from South-east have consistently shown apathy towards joining the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in recent years, data has shown.


A civic organisation, SBM Intelligence’s data shows that between 2017 and 2021, the South-east had the lowest representation in recruitment into the force as against the six geo-political zones.

In 2017, among the 5,253 candidates shortlisted for recruitment, the North-west had the highest figure of 1,300, the North-central had 823, the North-east produced 759, and the South-east had the lowest representation with 651. South-south and South-west had 799 and 921 respectively.

In 2018, about 314,877 shortlisted candidates were confirmed. The South-east got only 16,774, the South-south had 32,404, and the South-west contributed 33,359. The North-central had 78,700, the North-East produced 68,077, and the North-west had 85,563 on the list.


According to the data, in 2021, 124,485 candidates were shortlisted out of which 28,290 were from the North-central. The North-east had the highest number of shortlisted candidates with 37,522, the North-west 35,585, and the South-south 10,778. South-West had the second lowest with 9,378, while South-east had the lowest with 2,932 candidates.

The consistently low number of youths from the South-east interested in joining the force has become a worrisome trend in recent years.

The chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase in October 2023, expressed concern about the South-east youths’ persistent lack of enthusiasm in joining the force.

Arase had, in a statement by Ikechukwu Ani, head of press and public relations of PSC, urged the zone’s leaders to figure out how to persuade their youth to show more interest in joining the force.


The PSC claimed that if the zone continues its apathy in joining the police, it would be difficult for anyone to pay attention to its complaints of marginalisation in the force.

Arase said that as the region was a hotbed for non-state actors’ activities which fuels insecurity, the youths should have taken the lead in being recruited into the police in order to provide indigenous response to the threat.


According to the PSC, statistics for the 2023 police recruitment shows that Kaduna state leads with 20,259 youths having already completed the online applications, while Adamawa state followed with 18,933 applications.

Others are Borno with 18,305, Bauchi with 16,554, Katsina with 16,232 and Kano with 15,888.

“Next to Anambra state from the rear are Ebonyi, 737; Abia, 966 and Imo, 999. Bayelsa has 1,020; Enugu, 1,036; Lagos, 1,259; Delta, 1,338 Edo; 1,526,” the statement said.

Stakeholders suggest possible reasons for apathy

Commenting on the likely reason for the apathy in police recruitment from the South-east, a journalist and coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy ((AFRICMIL), Chido Onumah said, “People who feel exceptionally marginalised do not think the police could offer them what they need. The police is also an endangered species in that region of the country,” Onumah stated.

He said nothing represented the oppression faced by youths of the South-east like the police. He argued that the youths see the police as the authority of the state that supported their oppression.

“There is also the security aspect. The police in the South-east are the target of terror. In the South-east, police are very vulnerable, and not many people will fancy such an organisation,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Douglas Anene, said many youths, for obvious reasons, including the longstanding subtle exclusion of Ndigbo in the commanding heights of security architecture, are not interested in joining the police.


“Their disillusionment concerning the entire Nigerian project is another reason they are uninterested in joining the police,” Anene argued.

In his contribution, security expert Oladele Fajana posited that youths from the region preferred engaging in business or salary work (different from policing).

“When the matter came up from the police authority, the Police Service Commission was surprised at the number of applicants. The South-east is very minimal compared to other parts of the country. It has always been like that. And what are the causes? The love in being in a physical business or salary work,” he said.

Implications for region

In 2023, Frank Mba, the most senior police officer from the South-east, was promoted three times within a year to fill the region’s vacant position at the higher level.

The Police Service Commission, while explaining the reason for the rapid promotion, said Mba’s rise to a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police three months after he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) was because he was the most senior police officer from the zone.

According to Onumah, it would be easier for the South-east to fill the position if they had the numbers.

Speaking on the implication, Fajana said a low representation in the nation’s police might work against the region in the future.

“Nigeria might still go back to regionalism, whereby every region, every state would protect itself. So it would be challenging for the South-east,” he said.

Possible way out

Suggesting possible solutions to the issue, Onumah said the police leadership must find out the cause of the apathy.

“They can go there and create awareness; they can’t give up. In all of the solutions, it’s for the police to go there and do a survey, survey the South-east and find out what the problems are.

“It is the people on the ground that will know best. They should talk to institutions, youths, and parents to find out why people are not joining the Police.

“If they do their research, they can find out if there is a need for incentive. It can serve as a moral booster,” Onumah said.


Proffering a solution, Anene said continuous advocacy by the region’s leaders and non-governmental organisations based in the South-east, including special incentives by the Police Service Commission could reverse the trend.

Fajana, on his part, said leaders in the region must speak with sincerity to the youths on the matter.

ICIR

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baby boy why are you ignoring me

South Easterners do not have trust in the Nigerian project. What's the career growth? Can a police officer from south east zone be made Inspector general of police? Incincerity of the government as well as double standards and ethnic profiling is one of major reasons why they are not interested.

Policing in Nigeria is a very poorly paid profession. Igbos are an achiever, ambitious and enterprising people. They create from nothing. It is therefore not surprising that they are averse to a poorly paid, highly corrupt institution like the Nigerian Armed Forces, which they have mostly experienced and continue to experience as an oppressive and depriving entity.

Those who can make a living for themselves have no need to apply for a government job, especially one where merit is not rewarded.

Amend the Constitution to allow the states to have state police, then check again.

9ja Police is a criminal organization. 90% that get recruited are mostly criminals.
Come to Aba and see RRS kidnapping innocent people everyday.

Until there is an overhaul of the entire organization and making sure only good people get recruited, the force will continue to remain unattractive to good Nigerians.

If no be joblessness and unemployment, wetin go carry pesin join this crop of hopeless police organisation??

Have you seen how dirty and unkempt their barracks and quarters look?? Na such condition u want subject your family to?

Na unemployment dey cause am

Yolluba corn god worshippers trust the British project called Nigeria.

There is massive unemployment and underemployment and you want people to die for the crook in aso rock?

Funny enough this 2024, I wanna see urhinz cry more coz of their tribalistic decisions to support drugnibu to aso villa.

Seun I hope you did not make a deal with SSS to hand the anonymous nature of NL to them?

Happy New Year folks!

u don't want ibo presidency but u want ibo police man.thunder faya you

When was the last the last time an Ibo man was promoted to Inspector-General of police?
They have seen that you have placed an artificial ceiling on their heads, and they cannot progress beyond a certain point in the police, no matter how competent they are.

Why then should they decide to give their life to a project where they are least favoured?

Nonetheless they remain the most economically empowered group in Nigeria, whether you hate them or love them.

It's more rewarding to be a soldier than a police officer

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