Army Recruitment: I mentioned 50 Million Youths in Error – Tinubu

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has come out to clarify his statement on the recruitment of 50 million youths into the armed forces at a colloquium to celebrate his 69th birthday on Monday.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu noted that it was an “accidental verbal mistake”. He said that he meant 50,000 youths recruitment into the security architecture of the country.

“Asiwaju seeks the expansion of security personnel by 50,000 for the armed forces, not the 50 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 50 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,” Rahman’s communique reads in part.