Nigerian Soldiers Now Earn ₦100,000 Minimum Wage, Defence Minister Reveals

The Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000 as part of ongoing efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel, Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), has disclosed.

The minister made the announcement during an interview with News Central ahead of the broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme scheduled for Friday.

Speaking on the funding of Nigeria's armed forces, Musa acknowledged that the country's defence budget remains inadequate in view of the security challenges confronting the nation.

"It's not enough," the minister said when asked whether the current defence allocation was sufficient to meet operational demands.

Despite the funding constraints, he said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritised improving the welfare of rank-and-file soldiers.

"When they started, a soldier was collecting ₦49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he's collecting ₦100,000," Musa said.

The minister, however, did not state when the salary increase took effect or whether additional welfare packages are being planned for military personnel.

Musa also defended the Nigerian Army against allegations that soldiers are poorly fed, insisting that viral videos circulated on social media gave a misleading impression of the quality of meals served to troops.

He referred to the case involving social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, who was arrested after publishing videos alleging poor welfare conditions among military personnel.

According to the minister, the videos were deliberately manipulated to portray the Army in a negative light.

"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," Musa alleged.

Justice Crack was arrested in March alongside several serving soldiers after posting videos questioning the welfare conditions of military personnel.

The Nigerian Army subsequently accused the influencer of encouraging soldiers to misrepresent their welfare and attempting to incite disaffection within the ranks, actions it said violated military regulations governing 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 ₦5 million with one surety. His trial is still ongoing.

Although he defended recent welfare improvements, the minister maintained that the Armed Forces require increased funding to effectively tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats across the country.

He said the Federal Government remains committed to improving the welfare, remuneration and operational capacity of military personnel as part of broader efforts to strengthen morale and enhance the effectiveness of Nigeria's security operations.

Musa added that sustained investment in the military would be critical to addressing the country's evolving security challenges and ensuring that troops are adequately equipped to carry out their constitutional responsibilities.