DSS Boss Oluwatosin Ajayi Calls for Mandatory Recruitment of First-Class Graduates to Strengthen National Security

Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a national policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security.

Ajayi made the appeal while delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Represented by DSS Deputy Director Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, he emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in recruitment policies to ensure the nation’s security agencies enlist only the most intellectually gifted individuals.

Drawing parallels with Israel’s education and security model, Ajayi suggested a structured selection process where top academic performers are directly drafted into national intelligence services.

“Tell me, how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to secure a nation against a criminal gang made up of first-class minds? It takes intellect to track criminality,” he stated.

He further urged Nigeria’s academia to actively supply intelligence agencies with details of exceptional graduates to ensure they serve the nation.

“If I had my way, the academia should be able to supply us with details of top-performing students in various fields so they can be compelled to serve this great nation,” he added.

Ajayi also called for a shift in public perception of security agencies, arguing that seeing them as adversaries rather than allies hinders intelligence gathering and peacebuilding efforts.

Addressing Nigeria’s evolving security landscape, he highlighted how sabotage, subversion, and espionage have transformed into more complex threats such as terrorism, insurgency, cybercrime, and economic sabotage. He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these challenges through strategic collaborations and continuous stakeholder engagement.

Citing the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024, and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999, Ajayi outlined the DSS’s legal mandate to prevent crimes against Nigeria’s internal security and provide timely security advice to the government.

Meanwhile, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday received a delegation from the DSS, led by Deputy Director-General Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja, at the State House, Abuja.

She praised the agency for appointing a woman to a high-ranking position, stating, “Women who have proven themselves in their careers deserve recognition and leadership roles.”