Nigerian soldiers now earn N100,000 monthly – Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has revealed that the Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers to N100,000 as part of efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel.

Speaking during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, Musa acknowledged that although troops’ welfare has improved, funding for the nation’s armed forces remains inadequate.

Reacting to a question on whether the current defence allocation was sufficient, he responded, “It’s not enough.”

Despite the funding challenges, the minister said the government had made notable progress in improving the earnings of military personnel.

“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.

Musa also called for tougher penalties against kidnappers, arguing that introducing capital punishment would help discourage the rising rate of abductions across the country.

“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,” Musa said.

Addressing the recent kidnapping of schoolchildren in Oyo State, the Defence Minister described the incident as unfortunate and alleged that the abductors were attempting to pressure the military into releasing some of their detained leaders.

“You know, 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 disclosed that the kidnappers had warned security agencies against launching aggressive rescue efforts.

“They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” he added.

On reports alleging poor feeding conditions within the military, Musa dismissed the claims, insisting that the information circulating publicly did not reflect reality.

He referenced an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, alleging that the officer deliberately removed food items from a meal before recording it to give the impression that soldiers were poorly fed.

“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,” the minister said.