By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The Federal Government has approved an increase in the minimum monthly salary for Nigerian soldiers, raising it from N49,000 to N100,000 as part of efforts to improve the welfare and morale of military personnel.
Newstracktoday reports that the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), disclosed the development during an interview with News Central ahead of Friday’s broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme.
The minister also dismissed claims that soldiers are poorly fed, saying the government has introduced measures to improve the welfare of troops.
Despite the salary increase and other welfare initiatives, General Musa acknowledged that Nigeria’s defence budget remains inadequate to effectively address the country’s security challenges.
He stressed the need for increased investment in the armed forces to strengthen operational capacity and enhance national security.
“It’s not enough,” he said.
Highlighting measures taken to improve conditions for rank-and-file personnel, the minister said the Tinubu administration had prioritised soldiers’ welfare.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
The minister also defended the Nigerian Army’s handling of the case involving social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, who was arrested after circulating videos alleging poor feeding and welfare conditions among troops.
According to him, the viral videos were deliberately manipulated to misrepresent the quality of meals served to soldiers.
“The soldiers’ food was okay. There was meat and other things, but he told them to pull them out and make it look like those things were not there,” the minister alleged.
Justice Crack was arrested in March alongside several soldiers after sharing videos that raised concerns about the welfare of military personnel.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Army accused Justice Crack of encouraging soldiers to misrepresent their welfare conditions and attempting to incite disaffection within the ranks, actions it said violated military regulations on the use of social media. While the soldiers involved remained in military custody, Justice Crack was handed over to civil authorities for investigation and prosecution.
In May, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety. His trial is still ongoing.
Commenting on the broader issue of military welfare, the Minister of Defence said that although the Armed Forces require increased funding to effectively tackle Nigeria’s security challenges, the Federal Government has continued to improve the welfare and remuneration of military personnel.
According to him, the measures are aimed at boosting troop morale and strengthening the military’s operational effectiveness.
Culled from Sun
