Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, the Director-General of the DSS, has proposed the implementation of a policy that would require the compulsory recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency, aimed at enhancing national security.
Ajayi issued this appeal during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture held at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State.
In his presentation, “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” Ajayi stressed the importance of a fundamental change in the recruitment and staffing processes of security agencies, advocating for the inclusion of only the most qualified individuals.
Represented by the Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the Deputy Director of the DSS, the Director General emphasized that making the recruitment of high-achieving academic individuals into the DSS a mandatory national policy is essential. This approach would align with the selective university admission system implemented in Israel.
He said, “Like I know, in Israel, there is one examination that students take to get admitted into the university. The moment you score above 70 marks, you have no option but to be sent to the university there.
“Tell me how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to keep security in a criminal gang that is constituted of First Class people? You know, it takes intellect to track criminality.
“So, if I have my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing, the academia should be able to supply us, sincerely, the details of students who have excelled in their various fields of study so that they would be forced to serve this great nation.”
