Why DHQ is Training Military Veterans on Skills Acquisition – CDS Musa
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has declared open the south-south Skills Acquisition Training for Veterans (SAT-V) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
The CDS was represented by Major General Jamal Abdulsalam, the General Officer Commanding, (GOC) 6 Division Nigerian Army/ Land Component Commander Joint Task Force (South-South) Operation Delta Safe.
The three-day training was organised by the Defence Headquarters to improve the standard of living of veterans as well as empowering them against the effect of dwindling economic conditions.
The CDS noted that with the increasing cost of living, veterans need skill acquisition training that could help them have alternate sources of income to cope with the reality.
General Musa explained that, “The dwindling economic conditions in earning and lack of access to alternative source of income result in a vicious cycle of want.
“It is based on this perennial problem and the need to empower our veterans that I directed the Veteran Affairs Division to conduct Skills Acquisition Training for veterans nationwide on Geo-political zone basis. I am indeed glad to observe that veterans are not left out in our drive to make life better for service personnel. More so, veterans are critical stakeholders in our pursuit of improved living conditions.
General Musa then called on the veterans to make a good use of the training to improve their lives, adding that at the end of it, they would be certified by SMEDAN, which according to him, “the certificate could be utilized as a requirement to obtain loans from banks depending on the scope of your intended vocation and business plan.”
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Earlier in his welcome address, the Director, Veteran Affairs Division of Defence Headquarters, Major General DI Salihu, said the training was organised in line with the leadership concept of the Chief of Defence Staff, which is “To nurture a Professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is people-centric, Collaborative and Capable of Meeting its Constitutional Responsibilities in a Joint Environment”.
The training is aimed at ensuring a comfortable and purposeful life for veterans through education and focuses on the importance of improved standard of living.
He noted that one of the major reasons for hardship suffered by veterans over the years is lack of proper planning before retirement.
“Hence, the importance of training of this nature can not be over emphasised as it is quite timely and desirable. The CDS, considering his pedigree and antecedents, has always been a true believer in capacity building of personnel, veterans, and their dependants,” Major General Salihu added.
He also said, “The CDS has always demonstrated this in his unwavering support and commitment to the welfare of troops and their families, including veterans and widows of our fallen heroes. The CDS also believes that this training will be of great value to our veterans and serving military personnel from the AFN.”
PRNigeria gathered that the Skills Acquisition Training was conducted in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). The participants gained skills in such vocations as poultry, fish farming, snail farming, animal husbandry, livestock farming, integrated farming, irrigation, and modern crop farming techniques, amongst others.
The training also included financial literacy, record keeping, agricultural produce processing and packaging, as well as marketing and identification of business opportunities.
By PRNigeria
