By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
In a decisive move to deepen troops’ welfare beyond the battlefield, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu, yesterday moved to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s strategic partnership with the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Lagos, declaring that soldiers must be fully prepared not just for war but for life after service.
Shaibu gave the assurance during a high-level engagement with the Commandant of NAFRC, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo, at Army Headquarters, Abuja, as part of ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing personnel welfare and post-service economic empowerment.
The Army Chief said modern military leadership demands a holistic welfare framework that supports personnel before, during and after active service, warning that failure to plan for post-service life undermines morale, productivity and long-term national stability.
According to him, operational bottlenecks limiting effective skills acquisition and smooth transition into civilian life must be urgently eliminated.
“Welfare does not end at retirement. Our responsibility is to ensure that every soldier exits the service prepared, skilled and empowered to live a dignified and productive life,” the COAS said.
Congratulating Air Vice Marshal Ilo on his appointment, Shaibu described the NAFRC as a strategic national institution critical to equipping retiring personnel with vocational, technical and professional competencies required for economic self-reliance.
He stressed that structured resettlement and reintegration programmes now form a core pillar of the Nigerian Army’s evolving welfare architecture, particularly as the Service adapts to modern operational realities.
The COAS commended the Centre’s diverse skills acquisition programmes, noting that they play a vital role in ensuring a smooth, dignified and sustainable transition from military to civilian life.
He acknowledged the complex leadership responsibility involved in managing the welfare and professional development of thousands of Nigerian Army personnel undergoing training at the Centre at various stages of their careers.
Beyond training, Shaibu emphasised the urgent need for structured post-training placement mechanisms, noting that many personnel leaving the service possess valuable technical skills capable of strengthening Nigeria’s private sector and public institutions.
He urged the Centre to:
deepen strategic partnerships,
strengthen data management systems, and adopt human-resource-driven placement models to ensure long-term employability and economic stability for trained personnel.
In his response, Air Vice Marshal Ilo expressed appreciation for the sustained synergy between the Nigerian Army and the Resettlement Centre, praising the COAS’s personal commitment to the Centre’s mandate.
He disclosed that a significant number of Nigerian Army personnel currently form a major part of the Armed Forces contingents undergoing training at NAFRC, reinforcing its position as a critical engine for professional development and post-service empowerment.
The Commandant assured the COAS of the Centre’s loyalty and pledged full implementation of all directives aimed at improving welfare outcomes and reintegration success.
The engagement, observers note, signals a deliberate shift by Army leadership toward long-term human security, where the success of military service is measured not only by victories on the battlefield, but by how well soldiers are equipped to thrive after hanging up the uniform.
For Nigeria’s fighting force, the message was clear: the Army is now fighting just as hard to win the peace after service.
