The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, AIG Olohundare Jimoh, has told military officers graduating from a resettlement training programme that entrepreneurship is no longer a choice but a survival requirement for those leaving service.
Graduation Ceremony at NAFRC Oshodi
Jimoh delivered the charge as Special Guest of Honour at the graduation ceremony for the Senior and Mid-Level Officers Entrepreneurship and Management Course 19/2026 at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos, on Friday, September 4. The course brought together commissioned officers either due for retirement or approaching it from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defence Intelligence Agency, Defence Space Administration and NAFRC itself. It was organised in partnership with the Empretec Nigeria Foundation.
"Economic realities, technological advancement and global competition demand creativity, adaptability, innovation and sound managerial competence. Entrepreneurship is no longer an option but a necessity for sustainable economic growth, job creation and national stability," Jimoh said.
Officers Urged to Create Jobs in Their Communities
The AIG called on the graduating officers to put their newly acquired skills to work by setting up businesses that would employ young people and strengthen local economies. He described the training as a foundation for building enterprises and urged participants to serve as ambassadors of peace and development in their home communities.
Jimoh also commended NAFRC and Empretec for keeping the programme running over the years, noting that it had already produced entrepreneurs, employers of labour and community leaders from among serving and retired military personnel. He highlighted that participants in the current course covered agriculture, food processing, packaging, business management and entrepreneurship development, alongside local and international study tours designed to expose them to real-world business operations.
NAFRC Commandant Calls for Broader Security Sector Participation
In his welcome address, NAFRC Commandant Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius Ilo said the centre was confident the graduates were ready to excel in enterprise and would return to their units and apply what they had learnt. He also expressed hope that the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies would eventually join the programme. "We still believe that one day, they will join us in the broader perspective to grow harmony and unity amongst us," Ilo said.
The Commandant thanked the centre's instructors and staff, as well as Mrs Onari Duke and her team at Empretec for their contributions throughout the course. Mrs Duke, Country Director of Empretec Nigeria Foundation, told the graduates they had entered the programme in uniform and left as "architects of enterprise." She revealed that this cohort was the first to visit the operational farm of agribusiness firm Cormat along the Ibadan Expressway and received direct mentorship from a retired AVM who owns Profound Farm. She urged the officers to apply the same discipline they showed in uniform to their new careers as business owners, adding that Empretec's support would not end with the graduation.
The course is part of ongoing efforts to prepare retiring military personnel for post-service economic life, with the latest cohort now expected to apply their training in agriculture, food processing and business management across Nigeria.
