The Nigerian Army has launched a career transition programme to help senior officers prepare for productive careers after retirement, as part of efforts to strengthen personnel welfare and ensure their skills and experience continue to benefit the country.
The Senior Executive Career Transition Programme (SECTP), Cohort 2, was launched in Abuja on Monday and is organised by the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre (NAHFC). The initiative is designed to equip retiring officers with skills and guidance in areas including financial planning, mentorship and professional development to help them adjust to civilian life.
Speaking at the opening of the programme, a former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, urged officers to see retirement as the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of their professional careers.
Yahaya said the leadership, discipline, integrity and strategic expertise officers gained during their military service remained valuable assets that could be deployed in civilian life.
He encouraged the participants to approach retirement with confidence, strategic planning and optimism.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, who was represented by the Chief of Logistics (Army), Maj.-Gen. AA Adeyinka, said the programme was conceived about five months ago following consultations on the need for a structured transition framework for senior officers.
Shaibu described the initiative as a landmark welfare intervention aligned with global best practices, stressing that the Army’s responsibility to its personnel extended beyond their years of active service.
According to him, officers should retire not only with their statutory benefits but also with the knowledge, resilience and confidence needed to succeed in civilian life.
Shaibu said lessons from the inaugural cohort highlighted the importance of mentorship, financial planning, professional guidance and peer learning in preparing officers for retirement.
He added that well-prepared retirees remained valuable national assets capable of contributing to governance, security and socio-economic development.
Earlier, the Director-General of NAHFC, Maj.-Gen. Tariweriye Gagariga, said Army officers devoted their most productive years to defending the nation through rigorous training and demanding operations.
Gagariga said retirement could bring significant changes in identity, income and social engagement when not properly planned.
He explained that the SECTP was therefore designed to provide a structured pathway for successful career transition.
The initiative, he added, was consistent with the COAS Command Philosophy, which places personnel welfare, morale and development at the centre of Army policies.
According to the statement, the programme will also help preserve institutional knowledge by enabling retiring personnel to deploy their experience and expertise beyond active service.
It said the initiative was intended to ensure that decades of military leadership, professional competence and strategic insight continued to benefit Nigeria’s security architecture and national development.
The statement added that the programme underscored the Army’s growing emphasis on personnel welfare as an integral part of military effectiveness, including preparing officers for life and service beyond the uniform.
