The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has said the Federal Government has increased the monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000 as part of efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel.
Speaking during an interview with News Central on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s broadcast of the NC Exclusive programme, the minister said the salary review reflects the government’s commitment to supporting members of the Armed Forces.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
Despite the increase, the minister maintained that the military remains underfunded, admitting that the current defence budget is insufficient to meet the country’s security needs.
Responding to a question on whether the defence allocation was adequate, he replied, “It’s not enough.”
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Musa also advocated tougher penalties for kidnappers, backing the introduction of the death penalty to discourage the growing wave of abductions 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.
He also dismissed allegations that soldiers are poorly fed, insisting that recent claims circulating online misrepresented the quality of meals provided to troops.
The minister referred to a viral incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, alleging that the officer deliberately removed portions of the food before recording a video to create a false impression.
“The soldier’s food was okay. There was meat and other items, but he told them to remove those things and make it look as if they were not there,” he said.