Patrick Ikenweiwe, Deputy Director at the Department of State Services (DSS), has called for a policy mandating first-class graduates in Nigerian universities to serve in the country’s secret agency.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture organized by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Ikenweiwe argued that individuals with low academic performance should not be entrusted with the nation’s security.
Representing DSS Director-General Adeola Ajayi, Ikenweiwe delivered a lecture titled ‘The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration.’
He reiterated the need for top-performing students to be integrated into security agencies, saying Nigeria must follow the model of developed nations where intelligence services recruit the best minds.
“If I have my way, the best of the lot from every academic institution must be forced to serve in the Secret Service; that is how it is in the so-called developed nations,” Ikenweiwe said.
Drawing a comparison with Israel, he noted that students who score above 70 per cent in a particular examination are automatically sent to university and placed in positions of national importance.
“Tell me, how would a dullard be able to ensure security in a country where criminal gangs are filled with first-class minds? You need intellect to track criminality,” he added.
Ikenweiwe urged the academic community to collaborate with security agencies by providing details of outstanding students who could contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s intelligence and security framework.
