The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has advocated for a national policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security
Ajayi made this appeal during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Represented by DSS Deputy Director Patrick Ikenweiwe, he emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in recruitment policies to ensure that only top intellectual minds are enlisted into security agencies.
Comparing Nigeria’s security system to Israel’s model, Ajayi proposed a structured selection process where top academic performers are drafted directly into intelligence services.
“Tell me, how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to keep security in a criminal gang made up of first-class people? It takes intellect to track criminality,” he stated.
Ajayi further urged Nigerian universities to supply intelligence agencies with details of exceptional graduates, ensuring they contribute to national service.
“If I had my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing, academia should be able to supply us with the details of students who have excelled in their fields so they can be drafted into national service,” he added.
He also called for a change in public perception of security agencies, noting that viewing them as adversaries rather than allies hampers intelligence gathering and peacekeeping efforts.
Addressing Nigeria’s evolving security landscape, he highlighted the transformation of traditional threats—such as sabotage and espionage—into more complex challenges like terrorism, cybercrime, and economic sabotage. He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these issues through strategic collaborations and stakeholder engagement.
Ajayi also referenced the DSS’s legal framework, citing the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024, and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999, which mandate the service to prevent crimes against Nigeria’s internal security and provide timely security advice to the government.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has advocated for a national policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security){kind=link}
DSS needs it