The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi has called for the compulsory recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency.
He made the call during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the University of Ilorin.
Ajayi emphasized the need to attract the brightest minds to the DSS to enhance national security.
He called for a paradigm shift in recruitment practices, drawing a parallel to Israel’s selective university admission system.
Represented by Deputy Director Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the DG highlighted the need to change public perception of security agencies, which are often viewed as adversaries rather than allies. He stressed that such negative perceptions hinder effective intelligence gathering and impede national integration.
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.”
