The Federal Government says it has doubled the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000 in its latest effort to improve troop welfare and strengthen morale.
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Christopher Musa, disclosed the salary review during an interview with News Central.
He described the development as one of the welfare improvements introduced by the current administration for military personnel.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” the minister said.
For decades, concerns over poor salaries, inadequate accommodation, delayed benefits and rising living costs have dominated discussions on military welfare.
Musa also dismissed allegations that soldiers were being poorly fed, describing claims circulating on social media as misleading.
Referring to a viral video involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, he alleged that the footage was deliberately manipulated to create a false impression about the quality of meals served to troops.
“The soldier’s food was okay. There was meat; there was all this. But he told them to pull out those things and make it look as if those things were not there,” he said.
The minister’s remarks come as the Federal Government continues to pursue a mix of welfare reforms, increased security spending and renewed military operations aimed at improving the effectiveness of troops battling insecurity across the country.
But calls persist for greater investment in equipment, intelligence gathering and personnel welfare.
Musa maintained that Nigeria’s defence allocation remains inadequate to meet the enormous demands placed on the Armed Forces.
Responding to a question on whether the current defence budget was sufficient, he replied, “It’s not enough.”
He noted, however, that the government would continue investing in the welfare and operational capacity of the military to enable personnel to respond more effectively to the country’s security challenges.
The minister also advocated tougher punishment for kidnappers, calling for the introduction of the death penalty to discourage the growing wave of abductions across the country.
According to him, existing sanctions have failed to deter perpetrators.
“I think we should do that. There must be deterrence. The laws are soft, and that’s why people take advantage. If they know once you commit an offence, there must be punishment,” he said.
Speaking on the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, Musa alleged that the kidnappers were attempting to pressure the military into releasing some of their commanders currently in custody.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, he said the abductors had resorted to using innocent children as bargaining tools.
“It’s a very sad event. Unfortunately, bad things do happen. For whatever reason, they are looking for leverage because we have some of their commanders with us, and they feel taking these kids and holding them to ransom will make us release their commander,” he said.
He further claimed that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the victims should security forces move closer to their hideout.
“They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” the minister added.