The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has disclosed that the Federal Government increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000 as part of efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel.
Musa made the disclosure during an interview with News Central on Wednesday ahead of the broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme scheduled for Friday.
Despite the salary increase, the minister acknowledged that the military remains underfunded, stating that the current defence budget is inadequate to fully cater to the needs of the armed forces.
Asked whether the existing budget was sufficient, Musa responded, “It’s not enough.”
He explained that the salary adjustment was one of several measures aimed at improving the welfare of rank-and-file soldiers, saying, “When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting N100,000.”
Musa also rejected allegations that Nigerian soldiers are poorly fed, describing viral claims by social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, as misleading.
According to the minister, the influencer manipulated the videos circulated online by allegedly directing soldiers to remove portions of their meals before filming them.
