By Evelyn Usman

lagos—NO fewer than 403 retiring soldiers from the tri- services of the Military, will this week be graduating from the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, NAFRC Oshodi, having undergone training aimed at re-integrating them into civil life.

The soldiers comprising 281 from the Nigerian Army, 17 from the Nigerian Navy and 105 from the Nigerian Air Force, according to the Commandant of the centre, Air Vice Marshal Ajibola Jekennu, were the second batch of discharging soldiers trained at the centre this year.

Briefing newsmen on activities lined up for the Passing Out Ceremony, POC of the trainees billed for December 15, 2017 , Jekennu, who was represented by the Deputy Commandant of the centre ,Major General Edward Nze , disclosed that over 41,400 ex-servicemen had been trained at the centre since its inception.

According to him, NAFRC was established by the British Colonial masters after the Second World War, to impart relevant skills to the World War II veterans of the West African Frontier Forces.

He said however, its task evolved from rehabilitating demobilised soldiers of wars to that of resettling soldiers about to leave service, to reintegrate to civil life , with its name changed from NAFRC.

At the moment, he said there were plans to again review the mandate of NAFRC to include managerial and entrepreneurial training for senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN adding that one of such courses was ongoing , with 40 senior officers in attendance.

“There are also plans to upgrade the centre to vocational training degree awarding institution. The objective is to enable the beneficiaries have the capacity to productively re-integrate into the civil society upon retirement”, he said.

He added that the Minister of Defence, Mallam Muhammad Munsur Dan-Alli, members of the National Assembly, Service Chiefs as well as captains of