The Nigerian military yesterday commenced plans for a seamless retirement for 39 generals.
The generals, comprising 15 from the Army, 10 each from the Navy and Air Force as well as four attached to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), were enrolled into a two-week entrepreneurship and management training programme organised by the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) and Empretec Nigeria Foundation.
The trainees, who are the second batch to undergo the course at NAFRC, are expected to come up with viable business plans that would be scrutinised by the training facilitators.
Inaugurating the workshop in Lagos yesterday, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin urged participants to take the training seriously.
Olonisakin said: “As senior managers of the military enterprise, you are now being prepared to deploy knowledge already acquired in the course of your career to more civil use. There is no doubt that life after service presents peculiar challenges; one of which is the need for retired officers to be able to still engage in meaningful economic activities with the aim of ensuring a productive and wholesome life after military service.
“This is the aim of this training workshop. l have been reliably informed that this training will expose you to discussions and exercises that would adequately prepare you to handle challenges encountered in retirement, particularly concerning that of starting your own businesses.
“I, therefore, congratulate you all on your nomination to this workshop and urge you to take full advantage of the benefits it offers. I also expect that some of the skills you will acquire would add value to your productivity at your respective services.”
NAFRC Commandant Air Vice Marshal Ajibola Jekennu said the training was designed to equip the senior military officers within retirement bracket with essential tools and requisite information for a productive post-service life.
He said: “The aim of the programme is basically to refocus attention of the retiring or soon-to retire senior officers to the fact that a meaningful and productive life can still be pursued at retirement. In a couple of days, the trainees shall be taken through various modules in entrepreneurship and management field. These modules have been specially prepared to meet specific needs of the senior officers. They have been designed to be more practical and interactive.
“Our belief is that experiences and skills, which were accumulated while in service, could still be put to use in civilian business pursuits in order to live wholesome and fulfilling life after retirement.
“On the long run, our wish is to have officers pre-retirement training fully domiciled at the centre with a regular programme while retaining organisations like Empretec Nigeria Foundation and Yabatech Consult as partners.
“For now, NAFRC only facilitates such entrepreneurship training through these organisations. Eventually, we hope to develop in-house capacity for entrepreneurial training for officers of all cadres and not just those slated for retirement.
“Our partnership with Yabatech Consult leads to the award of Advanced Professional Diploma in occupational, security and safety management, which provides our trainees with better employment opportunities and easy job placement in the labour market.
Empretec’s Country Director Mrs. Onari Duke urged the generals to give in their best, adding that those with good business plans would have access to local and international grants available.
According to her, the initiative was from the United Nations (UN) and was presently running in 33 countries. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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