From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, has called for a shift in public perception of security and intelligence agencies, stressing that they should be seen as allies rather than adversaries.
Speaking at the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture, organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Ajayi noted that negative perceptions of security agencies hinder intelligence gathering and, by extension, national peace and integration.
Delivering the lecture titled: “The Roles of the DSS in Security, Peacekeeping, and National Integration, the DSS DG, who was represented by the agency’s Deputy Director, Mr. Patrick Ikenweiwe, emphasised the need to strengthen intelligence institutions, reorient public attitudes toward their roles, and reconsider recruitment strategies.
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“If I have my way, the best brains from our universities should be compelled to serve in the DSS,” Ikenweiwe stated, adding that intelligence work requires sharp minds to outmaneuver sophisticated criminal networks.
“Look at Israel, for example. They have a system where students who score above a certain threshold in national exams are automatically placed in universities. How can a ‘Dundee’ (dullard) keep up with criminal syndicates made up of First Class minds? Tackling crime requires intellect,” he said.
He further outlined traditional threats to national security, including sabotage, subversion, and espionage. However, he noted that in the past two decades, Nigeria has faced more complex challenges such as terrorism, insurgency, separatist agitations, illegal oil bunkering, farmer-herder conflicts, cybercrime, and political violence.
On the mandate of the DSS, Ikenweiwe highlighted its legal framework under the NSA Act and the SSS Instrument No. 1 of 1999, which empowers the agency to prevent and investigate threats such as espionage, subversion, terrorism, and economic crimes that pose national security risks.
Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Professor Abdulganiyu Jawondo, commended the DSS for its role in national security, saying the centre continues to train security personnel, including officers from Nigeria’s Armed Forces and other agencies, to enhance conflict resolution and resource management in the country.
