The Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre says at least 40,000 military personnel has passed through its pre-retirement training programme since the centre was floated.
Commandant of the NAFRC, Air Vice-Marshal Moses Akinsanmi, said in a briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, that the purpose of the training was to equip retiring military men with relevant skills and vocations that would enable them to make a living after service.
According to him, some personnel have acquired some skills during their service. These, he said, would only need reinforcement by the centre in order to add value to what they had learnt.
Akinsanmi said, "We ensure the training are relevant and those already with skills have the opportunity of acquiring entrepreneurial and managerial expertise.
"The training programme is meant to integrate the retiring military personnel into civil society and enjoy post-service life.
"Effort is being made to expand the scope of participation of commissioned officers, who have hitherto been excluded from the pre-retirement training."
Asked if the centre provide incentives in terms of loans to the trainees after the programme, the commandant explained that such facility did not exist yet because the personnel were expected to use their gratuity and savings to establish their own businesses.
"But we are working towards expanding the scope of the training. We are reviewing the programme to see if we can partner with organisations to provide soft loans," he said.
Three hundred and eight trainees are set to graduate from the centre out of which 44 are from Army, 15 from the Navy and 249 from the Air Force.
