Transition To Retirement: 718 Military Personnel Begin Pre-retirement Training

As the clock ticks and the bell of disengagement from active military service rings, 718 personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces were today, Wednesday, 28th January, 2026 inducted for a six-month pre-retirement training programme at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, in Lagos state.

The personnel drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, are due to be disengaged from active service after they might have undergone the compulsory programme.

They were inducted into Course 1/2026 of the Centre, a programme, it was learnt, is designed to prepare the Non-Commissioned officers for life after military service through entrepreneurship and vocational training.

The personnel include Master Warrant Officers, Warrant Officers, sergeants, and Corporals.

Speaking at the induction ceremony, the Commandant of NAFRC, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius Ilo, cautioned the participants by reminding them of the competitive space in civilian life in juxtaposition with the regimented military environment they are used to, describing it as “highly competitive.”

As a result, he urged them to manage expectations, prioritize welfare of family and adjust their mindset in consonance with the reality.

“Once you leave here, it is you and your family. That is when you truly understand the meaning of family first,” AVM Ilo reiterated.

While re-emphasizing that the Centre provides quality training, research and development, he noted that the aim of the centre is to help participants to successfully reintegrate them civil society.

The Resettlement centre is “a citadel of courage and hope,” established to prepare retiring personnel for meaningful and productive civilian life.

He congratulated the participants on their nomination for what he described as a “highly coveted retirement course,” noting that the programme was carefully structured to equip them with practical and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance after service.

On discipline, the Commandant reiterated the efficacy of discipline, diligence and effective time management, cautioning participants against rigidly imposing military regimentation in civilian engagements.

However, AVM Ilo further warned participants on the misuse of social media platform explaining that any caught violating acts inimical to the centre or exhibiting acts of indiscipline, will face full weight of the law, not excluding dismissal from the course.

Earlier, the Director of Training, NAFRC, Brigadier General Isang Akpaumontia, disclosed that out of the total number nominated, 718 participants were seated on parade, having been received, documented, accommodated and medically screened.

He said about 85 participants were declared medically unfit for the course, while 15 others were yet to report, adding that those medically unfit had been returned to their units to continue treatment closer to their families. He noted that the Centre would maintain contact with the affected personnel to enable them complete documentation and biometric capture for future graduation.

He encouraged the participants to maximise the opportunities offered by the programme and He added that the course is fully residential, with all participants accommodated within the Centre, and warned that unauthorized absence from training or parade would not be tolerated. high standards of discipline, character and learning throughout the training period in NAFRC.