Senator Gbenga Daniel, a former Governor of Ogun State and current representative of Ogun East Senatorial District, has expressed concern over the low enlistment rate of people from the South-West of Nigeria into military and paramilitary services. During the “Dialogue with Journalists” event organized by the Ogun Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abeokuta, Daniel highlighted the region’s lag in numbers, particularly in the Navy and Police.
Daniel, also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy and a member of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, urged parents to stop discouraging their children from joining the military and paramilitary forces. He pointed out that the military, once considered a career for “miscreants” in the 1960s and 1970s, has produced leaders in both politics and the economy in Nigeria.
He stressed that those who joined the military before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960 are now influential in the country’s affairs. Daniel called for a change in mindset, encouraging parents to motivate their children to pursue military careers, which he described as noble and full of opportunities. He noted the positive developments happening within the Nigerian Navy and urged the South-Western youth to take advantage of these opportunities.
Reflecting on his one-year tenure in the Senate, Daniel mentioned that he has presented 11 bills, including those on the College of Aviation Technology in Ilara Remo, Terminal Illness Trust Fund, Media Practitioners Registration Council, Border Communities Development Agency (Amendment), and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure Act. He is also a member of 14 other Senate Committees, actively contributing to various legislative efforts.