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The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Command, Olohundare Jimoh, has urged graduating military officers to transform the entrepreneurship skills acquired during their training into viable businesses that can create jobs and contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth.
Jimoh made the call on Friday while serving as the Special Guest of Honour at the graduation ceremony of the Senior and Mid-Level Officers Entrepreneurship and Management Course 19/2026 at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos.
He said entrepreneurship had become a necessity rather than an option for military personnel approaching retirement, particularly in the face of prevailing economic realities, rising unemployment and increasing global competition.
The AIG urged the graduating officers to leverage their military discipline, leadership experience and newly acquired business skills to establish enterprises capable of empowering young people and stimulating economic activities in their communities.
According to him, the officers should see themselves not merely as retirees but as potential employers, investors and agents of economic development.
Jimoh said the training exposed participants to various aspects of enterprise development, including agriculture, food processing, packaging and business management, as well as local and international study tours designed to link classroom knowledge with practical business experience.
He urged the graduates to become ambassadors of peace and development by investing in businesses that would create employment opportunities, reduce unemployment and strengthen local economies.
The police chief also commended the NAFRC and Empretec Nigeria Foundation for sustaining the entrepreneurship programme, noting that it had helped produce employers, industrialists and community leaders among retiring military personnel.
The NAFRC Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius Ilo, said the graduating officers were now better equipped to excel in enterprise development after completing the programme.
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Ilo urged the participants to remain good ambassadors of the resettlement centre and apply the knowledge acquired during the training to build successful and sustainable businesses.
He expressed optimism that the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies would participate in future editions of the programme, saying broader participation would promote stronger inter-agency cooperation and harmony.
Also speaking, the Country Director of Empretec Nigeria, Mrs Onari Duke, described the graduating officers as having transformed from personnel in uniform into “architects of enterprise.”
Duke said the cohort was the first to visit Cormat’s operational farm as part of the practical component of the programme and also benefited from mentorship by a retired Air Vice Marshal.
She challenged the graduates to build their businesses with the same integrity, discipline and commitment that characterised their years of military service.
She assured them that Empretec Nigeria would continue to provide support and mentorship beyond the formal completion of the training.
The course, organised by the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre in collaboration with the Empretec Nigeria Foundation, brought together commissioned officers from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Defence Intelligence Agency, Defence Space Administration and NAFRC who are approaching retirement.
The programme is designed to equip personnel with the entrepreneurial and management skills required to successfully transition from military service into productive civilian economic activities.
