Chiemelie Ezeobi
To prepare its personnel for life after service, the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos State, recently kicked off the Middle and Senior-Level Officers’ Entrepreneurship and Management Course 16/2025.
Designed to prepare military officers for life after service while advancing the Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts, the course was inaugurated by the Commandant of NAFRC, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bashir Mamman in partnership with the Empretec Nigeria Foundation, a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) initiative that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation.
According to AVM Mamman, the programme was aimed at equipping officers with entrepreneurial and managerial skills required to achieve financial independence and contribute to national development after service.
He said: “Our mission is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, develop business acumen, and build the resilience needed to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment.”
According to the Commandant, more than 260 senior officers had benefitted from the programme in the past, adding that 42 officers drawn from the three Services, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and NAFRC were enrolled for this session.
He emphasised the Nigerian Armed Forces’ resolve to equip officers with entrepreneurial, managerial, and leadership skills that foster financial independence and sustainable livelihoods beyond active service.
“This programme is designed not only to prepare officers for life after service but also to cultivate innovation and adaptability while still in uniform,” he said.
AVM Mamman revealed that the Centre had trained over 48,000 non-commissioned officers since inception, with 576 personnel currently undergoing pre-discharge training, while over 266 senior officers from the Armed Forces and sister security agencies have benefitted from the entrepreneurship programme since its introduction.
He expressed appreciation for the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and the Service Chiefs for their commitment to national capacity-building, noting in particular the approval for a foreign training tour to Songhai Farm in the Republic of Benin.
“Our officers already understand the fundamentals of business, and while the Armed Forces traditionally encourage involvement in agriculture, it remains one of our top priorities.
“That is why we take participants to Cotonou to observe and learn firsthand from a practical business farm, so they can gain the experience needed to develop their own agricultural ventures over time.
“We expect that, upon completion of the course, participants will have acquired the necessary exposure to decide on specific business areas to pursue after retirement.
“Since they are still in active service, we encourage them to begin planning and raising modest funds to start small-scale ventures before disengagement. Equipment support, however, is reserved for personnel of other ranks at the point of retirement.”
AVM Mamman urged the participants to begin small-scale ventures while still in service as part of their transition planning.
Giving the course outline, Deputy Director of Training, Navy Captain J. A. Oklobia, said it would combine lectures, workshops, and study tours designed to develop participants’ entrepreneurial capacity. Planned visits include Spectra Industries, the Nigerian Conservation Centre, Commint Buka, and Songhai Farm in the Republic of Benin.
He disclosed that 37 senior officers, 35 from the Services and two from the DIA, are participating in Course 16/2025, while five officers from NAFRC were also sponsored by the Commandant to attend the mid-level segment, bringing the total number of participants to 42.
Representing the Empretec Nigeria Foundation, Mr. Tobe Rapu, speaking on behalf of Dr. Onari Duke, the Foundation’s Country Representative, described the partnership as “a shining example of institutional collaboration driving national human capital development.
“This initiative empowers officers to view retirement not as an end, but as a new beginning—an opportunity to create value, generate employment, and contribute to national development,” he said.
Rapu added that the programme combines leadership development, business strategy, corporate governance, and agribusiness training, offering officers practical tools to build profitable ventures and strengthen Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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