New Vista for Military Retirees

Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that for 329 senior Non-Commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces, their reintegration into civil life was a new vista after they retired recently following months of intensive training at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre 

The Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) in Oshodi, Lagos, is saddled with the task of integrating military retirees into civil life.  Recently, they churned out 329 retirees after intensive training on various entrepreneurial skills to ease their transition.
The pre-retirement course was designed to give trainees the requisite rudiments for a successful reintegration into civil life after a meritorious service to the country.

Meritorious Service
For 35 meritorious years or less, the 329 soldiers went through series of military trainings to ensure they turn out to be professional soldiers in their various units and fields. Throughout those years, they recited the soldiers creed, and were solely dedicated to the actualisation  of the Armed Forces core responsibilities whatever the cost or odds. 
But three months to their retirement, it was time to reformat their thinking process back to the civilian life they were used to before their sojourn into military life. Thus began their journey to NAFRC, a centre established for military retirees to transition into civil life. 

Passing Out CeremonyFor the current graduates drawn from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the Nigerian Army (NA) and the Nigerian Navy (NN), they were equipped with relevant trades and vocational skills.
The retirees, comprising  258 from the NA, 59 from the NN and 12 from the NAF, who were sent off at a passing-out ceremony at the centre, had undergone preparatory and skills acquisition training to equip them with needed tools for easy reintegration into civil life.

CNS’ ChargeAddressing the retirees, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, reminded them that some of them could be called upon to render certain services including training of cadets, new recruits that would be deployed to various theatres of operations.
He said that the level of insecurity had taken a new dimension, urging the retirees to be wary of subversive elements within their environment, adding that they should brace up for post service life challenges.
The CNS said: “So many challenges are associated with post service life which include how you manage your resources especially your retirement benefits among others.
“Also, influence from members of your family and friends, management of your physical and mental health as well as integrating with the civil society must be properly managed.
“I urge you to be proactive in your conduct inorder to overcome these challenges because your loyalty to the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Federal Republic is non-negotiable.

“Some of you may be called upon to render certain services. Your vast experiences are still relevant and the Armed Forces can tap into your expertise in terms of training of officers at the various schools for deployment at theatres of operation.

“The society will expect high moral standards and discipline from you and you will have to prove that you passed through a highly disciplined system. I am sure that your training exposed you to several vocational opportunities and general management skills to alleviate pitfalls inorder to have a stress-free and meaningful life in retirement.”
Vice Admiral Gambo also noted that since they are still beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) programme, they are advised to ensure they do the necessary documentation so they would not be charged from their retirement benefits.

CommendationThe CNS also commended the leadership of NAFRC under AVM Idi Lubo for its effort at ensuring that discharging trainees are exposed to master trends in global entrepreneurship and management frame.
“Your reviewed curriculum has enabled personnel to benefit from the modern trend of doing business. I urge the Commandant to continue this laudable initiative for high quality human resource development so that the high standard for which the centre is known for is sustained,” he said.

The Commandant’s Remark
In his remarks, Lubo said over 50,000 personnel of the Armed Forces had been trained in NAFRC since its inception in the 1980’s.

“The centre has also successfully trained members of paramilitary agencies as well as members from federal ministries, departments and agencies. The training the centre provides, help beneficiaries to be equiped with skills for self sustenance and meaningful income while approaching life with a positive mindset.
“This will enable them contribute meaningfully to their various societies thus reducing crime, criminality as well as other vices from our society,” he said.

The AVM, who congratulated the graduands of NAFRC Course 1/2022 for the laudable achievement, added that”the successful completion of these courses is proof of your determination, commitment and discipline in the number of years of your active military service to our dear land.

“The training you acquired in the last three months is to enable you contribute positively to their various societies and thus helping to build a greater Nigeria”.

Earlier at the Interdenominational Thanksgiving Service held at the centre in Oshodi, Lagos, as part of the events leading up to their passing out ceremony (POC), the commandant also urged retiring personnel to invest wisely with their retirement benefits.
Charging them to continue to be ambassadors of the country as they prepare to bow out of service, he advised that as they were preparing to leave the service, it was important to put their resources to good use and avoid investing in bad vices.

History of Establishment 

With a vision to be a world class training institution capable of repositioning not only ex servicemen but retirees of other paramilitary/security agencies and organisations in order to cope with the challenges of post service life, the NAFRC was established to provide military personnel with relevant vocational and entrepreneurial training, in preparation for living a productive and fulfilling life in retirement. 
The centre was first established as an idea by the  British Colonial Government’s as a Vocational Resettlement Centre (VRC) for the West African Frontier Force (WAFF) that fought on the side of the Allied Forces in the Second World War in 1945. 

The centre was mandated to impact relevant skills to meet the resettlement needs of the ex-combatants of the war in Nigeria and Ghana. However, by the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, the mandate was redefined to meet the urgent need of rehabilitating the disabled soldiers of the civil war. 
Thus, the centre became an army establishment and was accordingly renamed the Nigerian Army Rehabilitation Centre to rehabilitate the disabled soldiers of the Nigerian Civil War.
 In the early 1980s, it became necessary to review the mandate of the centre when virtually all the disabled soldiers had been rehabilitated. Accordingly, with the introduction of the concept of Defence Headquarters, in the NAFRC Centre in 1982 with a renewed mandate. 

Vocational Skills 
The vocational courses which comprises management, fashion, shoe making, laundry, fine arts, photography, printing, soap making, agriculture, wood work, building and civil works, electrical and electronics, fabrication and welding, are meant to help the retirees re-integrate into civilian life and provide a source of living for them after retirement. 

For the current graduates, they were equipped with relevant trades and vocational skills. For the fashion wing, courses like shoe making, barring, tailoring, laundry and weaving were taught, while the fine arts and printing training had courses like fine arts, ceramics making, photography and printing as its core base.
 While the soap and cosmetics department had courses like soap and cosmetics making and domestic products, the agricultural section had general agric/food/cash crop, poultry, piggery, fishery, rabbitary, ruminants and snailery.

Also, the wood work sections boasts of carpentry and joinery, furniture design and construction, as well as the machine wood work, while the building and civil works section has bricklaying and concreting, plumbing and pipe lifting, painting and spraying. 

For the electrical and electronics section, courses like refrigeration and air conditioning, electrical installation and maintenance practice, as well as radio and television. The auto mechanics wing boasts of mechanical engineering, battery charging, vulcanising and car wash. 
Other departments like fabrication and welding have the fabrication, welding, machining and fitting, as well as foundry, while the music department deals with instrument learning and entertainment, even as the food and beverages department deals with bakery and the information technology department takes care of computer appreciation, hardware maintenance, networking and internet, as well as systems development and design. 

Given the important role the centre is saddled with it, it is therefore expected that consistency in providing quality training, geared towards preparing the retirees to face the challenges of re-integrating into civil life, is sacrosanct.

Quote“I urge you to be proactive in your conduct inorder to overcome these challenges because your loyalty to the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Federal Republic is non-negotiable”