President Hage Geingob has said the Namibian Defence Force deserves a pat on the back for its just-ended recruitment exercise which saw the 14 regions share the spoils in the just over 1 400 available slots.
New Era reported today that 11 of the 14 regions each has 103 cadets in the latest NDF intake with the exception of Ohangwena (117), Omusati (117) and Khomas (133).
The three regions got additional spaces due to their dense populations. This was a special consideration, the army said.
“In the past, we had challenges [in terms of recruiting]. In order to address these challenges, we decided to decentralise it to local and regional levels so that the people can own the process… the outcome gave us a true representation of the Namibian house,” Fillemon Shafashike, the recruitment committee chairperson said.
Other than that, NDF decentralised its recruitment drive to each of the 14 political regions and 121 constituencies are represented, in equal proportion, during the intake.
Geingob is an ardent preacher of the ‘Namibian house’ gospel, wherein Namibians in their diversity must co-exist, in harmony.
“I have always said Namibia is the only country we can call home and we must continue to hold hands and pull together in the same direction in order to build a better country for all. Therefore, as commander-in-chief, I am proud of the Namibia Defence Force and its stellar role in nation building and fostering a culture of peace and stability in our country. Congratulations!” Geingob said in a statement yesterday.
In Geingob’s eyes, the NDF’s exercise is a trendsetter, in the nation-building agenda.
“Our defence force is crucial in the process of nation-building and the strengthening of the foundations of the Namibian house. I have always said that we need to work hard towards an inclusive Namibian house, in which we are united in our diversity and all Namibians can live in harmony with one another,” Geingob said.
Caption: (Geingob) Inclusivity… President Hage Geingob is impressed by the recent diverse army intake.
Photo: Presidency