The Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, has revealed that the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers has increased from N49,000 to N100,000 as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel.
Speaking during an interview on News Central on Wednesday ahead of NC Exclusive programme on Friday, Musa said the salary adjustment was one of several measures introduced to boost morale of troops fighting insurgency and other security threats across the country.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly.We tried so hard. Now he’s collecting N100,000”, he said.
Despite the increase, Musa maintained that the Nigerian military remains underfunded and requires more resources to effectively tackle the country’s security challenges.
Addressing allegations that soldiers on the front lines are poorly fed, the Defence Minister dismissed the claims, insisting that troops receive adequate food rations. He referred to a viral video shared by social media critic Justice Crack, alleging that the content was manipulated to give the false impression that soldiers were being poorly fed.
“The soldier’s food was okay. There was meat and other items, but he told them to remove those things to make it appear as if they were not there”, Musa stated.
Commenting on the recent abduction of pupils in Oyo State, the minister described the incident as unfortunate. He alleged that the kidnappers were attempting to pressure the military into releasing some of their detained commanders.
According to him, the abductors also threatened to kill the children if security forces intensified rescue efforts, underscoring the difficult security situation facing authorities as they work to secure the safe return of the victims.
Nigeria’s armed forces have faced mounting pressure in recent years as they battle insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, separatist violence in the South-East and widespread kidnapping-for-ransom across several parts of the country.
Successive governments have pledged to improve troops’ welfare as part of broader efforts to strengthen security operations.
-9News Nigeria.
