Soldiers now earn N100,00 monthly – Defence Minister boasts

Defence Minister Christopher Musa says Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000, up from N49,000, though he insists the overall defence budget remains inadequate.

Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000, according to Defence Minister Christopher Musa, who revealed the pay boost followed a recent Federal Government review of military welfare.

According to The Punch, Musa disclosed the improvement during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, ahead of its full broadcast on the NC Exclusive programme this Friday.

“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” the minister said, framing the pay rise as a significant win for troop welfare under his tenure.

Despite the improvement, the former Chief of Defence Staff was blunt when asked whether the current defence budget was sufficient to meet the military’s needs. “It’s not enough,” he said, signaling that funding gaps persist even as personnel welfare has improved.

Musa also used the interview to renew his call for the death penalty to be introduced for kidnappers, arguing that weak laws have emboldened criminal gangs across the country.

“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.

The minister’s comments come at a time of heightened scrutiny on Nigeria’s security architecture, with the military currently battling insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North-Central, and separatist-linked violence in parts of the South-East.

Musa’s remarks on troop welfare and funding are expected to feature prominently when the full interview airs on NC Exclusive this Friday, alongside his broader comments on the security situation and measures needed to curb the country’s persistent wave of kidnappings.