A NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Bola Tinubu, has said his suggestion that the Federal Government should draft 50 million youth into the Nigerian Army to boost the war against insecurity in the country was a slip of the tongue.
Tinubu had made the suggestion on Monday when he spoke at the 12th colloquium to celebrate his 69th birthday in Kano State.
But his suggestion has since attracted harsh criticisms from some quarters in the country.
Some of the critics said the former Lagos State Governor is advocating that a quarter of the country’s population should be turned into canon fodder in the war against insurgency.
The National Population Commision in 2020 put the current population of the country at roughly 200 million.
However, in a statement issued today by his media office, Tinubu apologised for the error, saying it was an “accidental verbal mistake.”
He said he did not mean that the government should recruit 50 million youth into the security agencies, but 50,000.
The statement reads in part: “Asiwaju seeks the expansion of security personnel by 50,000 for the armed forces not the N50 million that was mentioned in error. It was an accidental verbal mistake of which we all commit from time to time especially when reciting a series of large numerical figures.
“He did not mean N50 million, which is almost a quarter of our total population.”
The statement also noted that the APC stalwart suggested that 5 million youth should be engaged in all aspects of nation-building, ranging from infrastructural development to agricultural modernization.
The statement, titled, Asiwaju Tinubu advocates National Employment & Security Policy that seeks recruitment of 5 million youths, including 50,000 into police, army, other security agencies, not 50 million.’ read in full
“The 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium marking Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s birthday was a well-attended event that focused on the important theme of national cohesion during these challenging times.
“This was the first time the colloquium was held in the ancient and important city of Kano. The choice of venue was most appropriate given the theme and the underlying objective of highlighting the oneness of the country and the need for unity so that Nigeria may attain its best destiny.
“Speaking at the event, Asiwaju Tinubu canvassed the urgent need to combine employment and national security policy by the recruitment of 5 million youths in all aspects of nation-building, ranging from infrastructural development to agricultural modernization.
“He believes that the more job opportunities are presented to our youth the less some of them will be tempted into illegal and dangerous activities.
“As part of this overall approach, he believes that eligible youth should be recruited into the armed forces, police and other security agencies to augment the functional capacity of our security apparatus thus ensuring the better security and safety of our people.
“Asiwaju seeks the expansion of security personnel by 50,000 for the armed forces not the N50 million that was mentioned in error. It was an accidental verbal mistake of which we all commit from time to time especially when reciting a series of large numerical figures.
“He did not mean N50 million, which is almost a quarter of our total population.
“The crucial matter is that Asiwaju rightly observed that such strong recruitment would serve the twin-purpose of helping to tackle unemployment while at the same time enhancing the security of every Nigerian.
“Please forgive any confusion due to this innocent error. The most vital thing is that he set forth a wise and timely approach that would help us face two of today’s stiffest challenges. It is in the spirit that we hope you view and assess his proposal for it seeks to provide a way for more youths to participate in building a greater, safer and more prosperous country.”
