The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has urged the Nigerian government to implement a policy that would require the recruitment of first-class graduates into the DSS as part of a broader effort to strengthen national security.
This recommendation was made during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Ajayi, who was represented by the DSS Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, argued that recruiting top academic performers would ensure that only the best minds are enlisted in the intelligence agency.
He drew a parallel with Israel’s selective university admission system, where high academic achievers are mandated to serve their country, emphasizing the need for Nigeria to adopt a similar approach.
“In Israel, students who score above 70 marks are automatically sent to the university, and I believe we should implement a similar system to ensure our brightest minds are committed to national service, especially in intelligence work,” Ajayi said.
The DSS DG highlighted that intelligence operations require exceptional intellect to effectively combat sophisticated criminal networks, such as terrorism, insurgency, and cybercrime. He pointed out that individuals lacking the necessary intellectual capacity would struggle to keep up with increasingly complex security threats.
Ajayi also addressed the negative perception that many Nigerians hold toward security agencies, stressing that viewing security forces as adversaries instead of allies hampers intelligence gathering and peacebuilding efforts.
“The attitude of the public towards security agencies must change,” he said. “This negative perception affects our ability to gather critical intelligence and achieve national integration.”
In his address, Ikenweiwe underscored the evolving nature of security threats in Nigeria, noting that the DSS is confronting more complex challenges, including economic sabotage and militancy. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to combating these threats through strategic partnerships with other security agencies and continued engagement with relevant stakeholders.
The lecture also underscored the crucial role of the DSS in safeguarding national security, as laid out in the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024, and the SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999. Ikenweiwe emphasized that the DSS is empowered to prevent, detect, and investigate threats to internal security and provide timely advice to the government on national security matters.
In a related development, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu met with a delegation from the DSS, led by Deputy Director-General Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja, where she praised the agency’s commitment to gender inclusivity, particularly its appointment of women to leadership positions.
Tinubu encouraged female leaders within the DSS to continue supporting each other and executing their roles diligently.
The call for the recruitment of first-class graduates into the DSS aligns with ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of the agency in addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges and contributing to the country’s peace and national integration.
