Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000 following a recent welfare review by the Federal Government, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has disclosed.
The minister made the revelation during an interview with News Central on Wednesday ahead of the broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme on Friday, where he also acknowledged that the country’s defence budget remains insufficient to meet the military’s growing operational demands.
Responding to a question on whether the current allocation to the armed forces was adequate, the minister admitted that funding remained a major challenge.
“It’s not enough,” he said.
Despite the funding constraints, he noted that the Federal Government had taken steps to improve the welfare of military personnel, particularly junior soldiers, through a significant increase in their monthly earnings.
“When we started, a soldier was earning N49,000 a month. We worked hard to improve it, and now the minimum salary is N100,000,” he said.
The minister also called for tougher measures against kidnappers, advocating the introduction of the death penalty as a stronger deterrent to the growing menace of abduction across the country.
“I think we should do that. There must be deterrence. The laws are too soft, and that’s why criminals continue to take advantage. People must know that serious crimes come with serious consequences,” he said.
Speaking on the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, the minister described the incident as deeply disturbing. He alleged that the kidnappers were attempting to pressure the military into releasing some of their detained commanders.
“It is a very sad incident. They are looking for leverage because we have some of their commanders in custody. They believe abducting innocent children and holding them hostage will force us to release those commanders,” he said.
He further revealed that the abductors had threatened to kill the children if security forces attempted to close in on their location during rescue operations.
“They are threatening that if our troops move any closer, they will kill all the children,” he added.
The minister also dismissed allegations that soldiers were being poorly fed, insisting that reports circulating on social media had misrepresented the situation.
Referring to an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, he alleged that the officer deliberately removed food items from a meal before recording a video to create the impression that soldiers were being served inadequate rations.
“The food was complete. There was meat and other items, but he instructed that they should be removed to make it appear as though they were never provided,” the minister said.
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