By Jesusemen Oratokhai
The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a national policy requiring the recruitment of first-class graduates into intelligence agencies to strengthen national security.
Speaking at the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the University of Ilorin, Ajayi, represented by DSS Deputy Director Patrick Ikenweiwe, emphasized the need for a shift in recruitment policies to ensure only the brightest minds serve in intelligence roles.
Comparing Nigeria’s approach to Israel’s structured selection process, he argued that academia should supply intelligence agencies with details of top-performing graduates.
“It takes intellect to track criminality,” he noted.
Ajayi also urged a change in public perception of security agencies, highlighting evolving threats such as terrorism, cybercrime, and economic sabotage.
He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these challenges through strategic collaborations.
