Soldiers Now Earn N100,000 Minimum Monthly

Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000 following a review of military welfare by the Federal Government, Defence Minister Christopher Musa has said.

Musa, however, acknowledged that the country's defence budget remained inadequate.

He disclosed this during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, ahead of its broadcast on the NC Exclusive programme on Friday.

The former Chief of Defence Staff said the improvement in soldiers' pay was important, though much more remained to be done.

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

Asked whether the current defence budget was sufficient, the minister was direct in his response.

"It's not enough," he said.

Musa also called for the introduction of the death penalty for kidnappers, arguing that existing laws were too lenient to serve as a deterrent.

"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," he said.

On the recent abduction of pupils in Oyo State, the minister described the incident as an attempt by the kidnappers to force the military to release detained commanders.

"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 added that the abductors had threatened to kill the children if security forces moved in.

"They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they're going to kill all the kids," the minister said.

Musa also dismissed public allegations of poor feeding conditions within the military, describing the claims as misleading.

He alleged that a military officer identified as Justice Crack had deliberately staged a false impression of the quality of meals served to soldiers.

"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," he said.