The Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos on Friday inaugurated 326 personnel into the NAFRC Course 01/2022 Stream One vocational education and entrepreneurship training in preparation for retirement.
The Commandant of the centre, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Idi Lubo said that the course would certainly prepare them for meaningful and beneficial post-service engagements.
According to him, the participants would receive lectures from specialists on a broad range of topics including entrepreneurship and general management, retirement planning, security and safety practice as well as ICT.
“In line with its establishment mandate, the NAFRC continues to offer opportunities to obtain quality training and education in a wide variety of entrepreneurial fields.
“This is aimed at adequately preparing our trainees to face the challenges of re-integrating into civil life,” the AVM said.
Lubo said that past trainees who had benefitted from this same course were thriving entrepreneurs in a broad range of business ventures nationwide.
“A significant number of these graduates are even employers of labour and have expanded their businesses beyond their immediate locality.
“It is therefore our hope and desire that upon completion of this course, you will have obtained the necessary skills to operate as entrepreneurs for self satisfaction and income generation,” he said.
The Commandant said that the NAFRC Servicemen Course was traditionally for a period of six months inclusive of six weeks of Industrial Attachment but it had been revised to three months.
He said the revision was due to the high number of prospective nominees from the Services and exigences imposed by limited logistics and the pursuance of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 prevention protocol.
“However, I wish to inform you that a robust and well-packaged training program has been specifically designed for your course,” the AVM said.
Lubo said that the institution attached great importance to matters affecting the physical and mental health of all trainees and staff.
“Accordingly, necessary arrangements are in place to ensure you remain fit and healthy throughout the course,” he said.
The commandant said that representatives from the Military Pension Board (MPB) would be invited from time to time to deliver lectures and give information on their retirement benefits.
“These lectures will afford you the opportunity to clear doubts regarding your entitlements,” he said.
Lubo urged the trainees to put in their best so as to maximise the learning opportunity in order to develop capacity in their desired entrepreneurial field at no cost.