The Federal Government has allocated funds to the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) in the Service wide vote for the pre-retirement training for various categories of retiring staff.
The Director-General of BPSR, Mr Dasuki Arabi, in a statement on Friday, said that the training was meant for staffers of federal parastatals in the country.
Arabi said the move will help retiring civil servants to plan properly on how they will start a new quality life after their fulfilling service years.
He said that in compliance with the requirement of the Public Procurement Act 2007, the Bureau is already inviting competent and reputable companies with relevant experience and good track record.
He said the essence of the programme was for reputable companies to express their interest in training the staff of various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Arabi said that retirement provides a golden opportunity for civil servants to give a sense of redirection to their lives, especially if properly planned.
“As most people find it difficult to live after their retirement because they failed to plan for it, the training will help the civil servants to plan.”
He said the restored programme, which the federal government initiated over a decade ago, was an individual development and empowerment initiative.
The director general said the programme is aimed at providing practical entrepreneurship training for prospective retirees to venture into any business of their choice.
“The training will also help retirees prepare to adjust to the challenges of life after retirement, for them to have personal understanding of financial planning.
“The training will help them appreciate the types of business opportunities that are open to them, as well as provide them with guides on how they can access their terminal benefits.
“The training is particularly important because it will help the retirees to cope with extended family pressures during their service years and even sustain them.
“It is also good for their personal health and wellness, because idleness may seriously harm the body that has been actively working for over 30 years,”he said.
Arabi said that the intervention would help ensure retirees’ financial stability, by reducing the rate of unemployment and poverty, aside in helping in increasing the country’s fortune of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He added that the training would also help potential retirees to live a legacy for their family to inherit even after death.