Federal government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000 as part of efforts to improve their welfare, Minister of Defence Christopher Musa has said.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking during an interview with News Central ahead of the station’s NC Exclusive programme, Musa said the Tinubu administration had prioritised the welfare of military personnel despite the challenges of inadequate funding for the armed forces.
According to him, the salary review represents a significant improvement from what soldiers previously earned, although he maintained that the defence sector still requires more funding to effectively tackle the country’s security challenges.
The minister also advocated stricter punishment for kidnappers, saying the death penalty should be considered to discourage the growing wave of abductions across the country. He argued that weak laws have failed to serve as an effective deterrent to criminals.
Commenting on the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, Musa alleged that the kidnappers were using the victims to pressure the military into releasing some of their detained leaders. He added that the abductors had threatened to kill the children if security forces attempted a forceful rescue.
Musa also dismissed claims that soldiers are poorly fed, describing such reports as misleading. He cited a viral video involving an influencer known as Justice Crack, alleging that the content was manipulated to create the false impression that soldiers were served inadequate meals, insisting that the food provided contained meat and other items that were deliberately removed before the video was recorded.
