Human rights lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor has urged the federal government to prioritise employment opportunities for South-East youths in key federal institutions rather than expressing concern over their low enlistment in the military.
Ejimakor specifically called for increased recruitment of Igbo youths into agencies, such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Nigeria Customs Service.
He made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he argued that the federal government should redirect efforts aimed at encouraging military enlistment toward opening up opportunities in these federal establishments.
Citing historical context, Ejimakor referenced a past report which linked political tensions in the 1970s to the appointment of an Igbo individual to a top position in the then Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC), now NNPCL.
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According to him, such events have contributed to a lingering sense of exclusion among Igbo people.
“The efforts to entice reluctant Igbo youths to join the Army should be extended to agencies like FIRS, CBN, Customs, and NNPC, which have hardly recruited Igbos since the end of the civil war in 1970,” he stated.
He further argued that the South-East region retains what he described as an “institutional memory” of past marginalisation, which continues to shape attitudes toward federal service, particularly in the military.
Ejimakor’s comments come amid ongoing national conversations about inclusivity, federal character, and equitable representation in Nigeria’s public sector institutions.
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