The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a policy mandating the recruitment of only first-class graduates into Nigeria’s intelligence agency, arguing that top intellectual minds are essential for strengthening national security.
Ajayi made this assertion during the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Speaking on the theme, “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” Ajayi, represented by Deputy Director Patrick Ikenweiwe, stressed the importance of a paradigm shift in security recruitment.
“In Israel, once you score above 70 marks in a national exam, you are automatically sent to the university. Why can’t we adopt a similar model for security recruitment?” he questioned.
The DSS DG dismissed the notion that security agencies should be open to all graduates, insisting that intelligence work requires exceptional intellect to counter sophisticated criminal networks.
“Tell me, how can a ‘dundee’ (dullard) keep security in a country where criminal gangs are made up of first-class minds? It takes intellect to track criminality,” he asserted.
Ajayi also called for a shift in public perception of security agencies, noting that viewing them as adversaries hampers intelligence gathering and peacebuilding efforts.
Ikenweiwe further highlighted Nigeria’s evolving security threats, including terrorism, insurgency, cybercrime, and economic sabotage, reaffirming the DSS’s commitment to tackling these challenges through strategic collaborations and intelligence-led interventions.
