The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has commenced training for wives of soldiers to enable them set up poultry farms.Commandant of NDA, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, who spoke at a three-day training in Kaduna, said the academy has earmarked N10m for training and empowering of the women in poultry business.

He said it has remained part of the Armed Forces objective to productively engage soldiers’ wives in businesses, in order for them to continue to support their family even after their husband’s retirement.

The commandant was optimistic that after receiving the training, the beneficiaries will begin to earn steady income. He promised that the beneficiaries have a market waiting for their poultry products.

“We decided to create a fund for empowerment skills. Ribadu Cantonment, Afaka and other communities is a huge market. We spend about N40 to N50m every month feeding our cadets. We go outside to get poultry products. I will just instruct the kitchen staff before they go out to buy poultry products, eggs and others they should first buy from you,” he explained.

Oyebade urged the beneficiaries to utilise the opportunities attached to the training and empowerment programme, as he said: “the loan given to them is not free, they will pay it back interest free, so that the revolving funds can also reach out to other groups. We will set a good management team to ensure that they pay back. If you call it a grant, they would feel like there is nothing to worry. As the business grows, they will benefit.

“We hope at the end of the programme the women would have been empowered. I implore the women to remain diligent and manage the resources well.”