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DG seeks compulsory recruitment of first-class graduates into DSS

The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a policy mandating the recruitment of first-class graduates into the intelligence agency to strengthen national security.
Ajayi made this call while delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
In his lecture, titled “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration,” Ajayi emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in recruitment and staffing within security agencies to ensure only the best minds are enlisted.
Represented by the DSS Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, the DG argued that recruiting top academic performers into the DSS should be a compulsory national policy, similar to Israel’s selective university admission system.
The DSS DG stressed the need for a shift in public perception, noting that many Nigerians view security agencies as adversaries rather than allies.
He warned that such attitudes negatively impact intelligence gathering, peacebuilding, and national integration.
“Like I know, in Israel, there is one examination that students take to get admitted into the university. The moment you score above 70 marks, you have no option but to be sent to the university there.”
He contended that intelligence work requires exceptional intellect to tackle sophisticated criminal networks.
“Tell me how would a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) be able to keep security in a criminal gang that is constituted of First Class people? You know, it takes intellect to track criminality.”
“So, if I have my way in this country, and we keep praying that we do the right thing, the academia should be able to supply us, sincerely, the details of students who have excelled in their various fields of study so that they would be forced to serve this great nation,” he said.
The lecture further highlighted the critical role of intelligence agencies in safeguarding national security, emphasising that public perception of security organisations as adversaries rather than allies hampers intelligence gathering and peacebuilding.
Addressing Nigeria’s security landscape, Ikenweiwe noted that traditional threats such as sabotage, subversion, and espionage have evolved into more complex challenges, including terrorism, insurgency, separatist agitations, militancy, cybercrime, and economic sabotage.
He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to tackling these threats through strategic collaborations with sister agencies and continuous stakeholder engagement.
Speaking on an overview of the mandate of the DSS, he said the service’s internal security responsibilities are accommodated in the NSA Act CAP N74 LFN, 2024 and SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999.
“The former summarily mandates the Service to prevent and detect any crime against the internal security of Nigeria as well as protect non-military classified national security matters, while the latter, promulgated by Abdulsalami Abubakar, mandates the service to, among others, prevent, detect and investigate the threat of espionage, subversion, sabotage, terrorism, separatist agitation, law and order and economic crimes of national security dimension.
“The instrument also demands that the DSS gives timely advice to the government on all matters of national security interest. Most importantly, the Service is empowered by the aforementioned legal frameworks to execute other functions as may from time to time be assigned by Mr. President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“The centre also offers short-time capacity-building training in those areas. Quite a number of officers from the Nigeria Armed Forces, other security agencies as well as officers of other nations have benefitted from the programmes, graduated and are doing well in their callings,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a related development, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday received a delegation from the DSS, led by the Deputy Director-General, Mrs. Afolashade Adekayaoja, at the State House, Abuja.
The visit underscored the administration’s commitment to empowering women in leadership roles within the security sector.
Tinubu applauded the DSS for appointing a woman to such a high-ranking position, stating, “Women who have proven themselves in their careers deserve recognition and leadership roles. This is a testament to my husband’s long-standing belief that women are highly responsible and committed.”
She urged female leaders in the DSS to support one another and diligently execute their duties to inspire future generations.
In response, Adekayaoja expressed gratitude for the administration’s commitment to gender inclusivity and reaffirmed the DSS’s dedication to ensuring national security and stability.
With the push for compulsory recruitment of Nigeria’s brightest minds into intelligence services, the DSS aims to bolster its operational effectiveness in addressing evolving security threats and strengthening national peace and integration.
Columns
What is acute myocardial infarction? Ozzy Osbourne’s cause of death explained as death certificate is released

Ozzy Osbourne‘s cause of death has been confirmed—but what is an acute myocardial infarction?
It was one of three things listed on the 76-year-old Black Sabbath rocker’s death certificate, which was released yesterday afternoon.
The document cited out of hospital cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction as the dad-of-five’s cause of death.
An acute myocardial infarction is a medical term for a heart attack, and in Mr Osbourne’s case it was connected to coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease is when fatty deposits (plaques) build up in the arteries.
This substance can narrow the arteries—a process called atherosclerosis—which reduces blood flow and increases the risks of heart attacks.
Furthermore, chunks of this plaque, which is made predominantly of cholesterol and other fat cells, can break off and cause obstructions, which can also trigger a heart attack if it affects the blood’s movement through the body.
Out of hospital cardiac arrest refers to falling ill outside of hospital—in Mr Osbourne’s case he became unwell while at home—and according to the British Heart Foundation, this is a medical emergency which fewer than 1 in 10 people survive.

The Black Sabbath star died aged 76 at his Buckinghamshire estate
Mr Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, and autonomic dysfunction refers to bodily functions which are affected by the condition.
The British Heart Foundation claims that in the UK, coronary heart disease—which includes heart attacks—is the cause of 66,000 deaths each year.
This translates to roughly 180 deaths per day, or one death every eight minutes.
In England and Wales alone, over 55,000 deaths were attributed to coronary artery disease—also referred to as ischemic heart disease—in 2019.
While Parkinson’s Disease itself doesn’t kill, studies have linked it to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease—including coronary artery disease.
This is because Parkinson’s affects people’s ability to walk and move around, making it near impossible for them to maintain a basic level of fitness, which keeps the vascular system healthy and functioning.
His passing came just weeks after he appeared on stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham.
Due to Parkinson’s-related mobility issues, he performed while seated on a giant black throne.

Due to mobility issues caused by Parkinson’s Disease, Ozzy performed seated on a throne

His grieving widow, Sharon, and two of his kids, Jack and Kelly, visit tributes in Birmingham
The concert, three weeks before his death, saw him reunite with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005.
More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, during which he told the crowd in his final speech: ‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.’
There were more than 5 million sign-ups to the concert’s livestream, too.
The concert raised £140 million for charities close to Mr Osbourne’s heart, Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
In a statement shared last month, Ozzy’s family said he died ‘surrounded by love’, adding: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.’
Mr Osbourne passed away on July 22 surrounded by his family at his Buckinghamshire Estate, where he was subsequently laid to rest last week.
The private funeral was attended by his family and a host of rock royalty.
His widow Sharon, 72, and their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack, were joined by stars including Marilyn Manson and Ozzy’s lead guitarist Zakk Wylde during the event at the family’s 250-acre estate.
Columns
David Adewuyi: Are solar panels safe for my building rooftop – What you must know

For the last two decades in Nigeria, there have been massive adoption of solar power systems as an alternative power source to the age long unstable power supply, high electricity bills and also as a profitable alternative to fossil fuel generating plant.
Generally, those that make the switch to this innovative solution have their solar panels installed on their roof tops in other to harvest adequate sunshine which is the source of energy that is DC (Direct Current). The direct current is then converted into AC (Alternating Current) used in powering their homes or business places.
In recent times, there have been videos circulating the internet showing houses on fire with captions such as, “solar panels burnt down the house”, “stop putting solar panels on your roofs” and so on. This has created panic in the solar sector and has become a cause of concern from some existing and intending solar users to use their roofs.
What is a solar panels?
A solar panel also known as photovoltaic (PV) panel is a major component of a solar system that converts photons from the sunlight into electrical direct current(DC) which is then used to power a house through an inverter or without an inverter if the appliances in use are DC appliances.
Solar panels are majorly made up of silicon solar cells, glass covering ,encapsulant, aluminum frame and junction box with extending short MC4 cables. So, can solar panels cause fire on your roof? Let’s find out in this article.
Why solar panels are installed on the roof?
As I earlier stated in the introduction, the primary reason for having solar panels on the rooftop is for better harvesting of sunlight and to avoid shadows as much as possible. This is why it has always been the general spot where residential and some commercial solar panels are installed.

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Columns
Police recruitment: PSC chairman warns against racketeering

A head of official announcement for the recruitment of Police cadet ASP, inspectors, the Police Service Commission has warned that it will deal decisively with anybody who intends to involve himself in any form of racketeering or fraud in the recruitment of qualified Nigerians into the Nigeria Police Force.
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