The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a policy that mandates the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to enhance national security.
Ajayi made this appeal while delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Speaking on the topic, “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” he emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in the recruitment process to ensure only the brightest minds are enlisted into security agencies.
Represented by the DSS Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the DG cited Israel’s university admission model, where students scoring above a certain threshold are automatically enrolled, as a system Nigeria could emulate.
He stressed that intelligence operations require high intellect to combat sophisticated criminal networks. “How can a dullard secure a country when criminals operate with first-class intelligence? It takes brainpower to track criminal activities,” he stated.
Ajayi further highlighted the negative perception many Nigerians have of security agencies, warning that it hampers intelligence gathering and national integration. He urged academia to collaborate with security agencies in identifying outstanding students for national service.
Speaking on the evolving security landscape, Ikenweiwe noted that threats such as sabotage, espionage, insurgency, cybercrime, and economic sabotage have become more complex. He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these challenges through strategic partnerships and intelligence-driven operations.
Meanwhile, in a related development, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu received a DSS delegation led by Deputy Director-General Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja at the State House, Abuja. The visit underscored the administration’s commitment to promoting women in leadership roles within the security sector.
Tinubu commended the DSS for appointing a woman to such a high-ranking position, stating that women who excel in their careers deserve leadership opportunities. “This reflects my husband’s belief in the capability and dedication of women,” she said.
Adekayaoja, in response, expressed appreciation for the administration’s gender-inclusive policies and reaffirmed the DSS’s dedication to safeguarding national security.
With the push for recruiting Nigeria’s best academic minds into the intelligence sector, the DSS aims to strengthen its operational capacity in tackling evolving security threats and promoting national peace and stability.
