Defence Minister Christopher Musa has disclosed that the minimum monthly salary for Nigerian soldiers has increased from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000 following a recent welfare review by the Federal Government. Musa, a former Chief of Defence Staff, made the statement during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, ahead of its broadcast on Friday. He credited the salary adjustment to government efforts, saying, "When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he's collecting N100,000."
Despite the salary increase, Musa admitted that the defence budget remains inadequate, responding to a question on funding with, "It's not enough." He maintained that military personnel welfare still faces challenges due to underfunding, even as improvements have been made. The minister also addressed public claims about poor feeding in the military, calling them misleading. He referenced a dismissed officer known as Justice Crack, alleging that the officer manipulated the presentation of soldiers' meals to create a false narrative. According to Musa, the food provided to soldiers included meat and other essentials, but Justice Crack instructed others to remove those items before filming.
Musa insisted that the quality of meals served to troops is not as depicted in viral reports, attributing the negative perception to deliberate misinformation. He defended the military's feeding standards, stating that the actual meal content was misrepresented in public circulation. No further details were provided on the timeline of the salary review or the specific categories of personnel affected by the new minimum wage.
The same minister who claims soldiers now earn ₦100,000 also admits the defence budget is still insufficient, raising questions about how welfare gains are sustained. If the food served to troops was truly adequate, it undermines the credibility of a dismissed officer's viral report but also suggests internal efforts to manage perception over transparency. Soldiers' improved pay cannot be separated from the minister's own admission that funding remains below required levels. The narrative hinges on trusting official accounts while dismissing public criticism as manufactured.
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