“From ₦49,000 to ₦100,000”: Defence Minister Reveals Soldiers’ Pay Boost, Admits Military Budget Still Falls Short

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has disclosed that the Federal Government has more than doubled the minimum monthly salary of soldiers, raising it from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000, as part of ongoing efforts to improve the welfare and morale of military personnel.

However, despite the salary increase, the minister acknowledged that the Armed Forces remain financially constrained, admitting that the country’s current defence allocation is inadequate to meet the growing demands of security operations across the nation.

Speaking in an interview with News Central ahead of the station’s NC Exclusive programme scheduled for broadcast on Friday, Musa said the government had taken deliberate steps to improve the living conditions of rank-and-file soldiers, even as broader funding challenges persist.

Asked whether the military’s existing budget was sufficient to effectively address operational and welfare needs, the minister gave a blunt response: “It’s not enough.”

He explained that the administration had worked hard to improve soldiers’ earnings, noting that the pay increase was intended to strengthen morale and reward personnel risking their lives in the defence of the country.

“When they started, a soldier was collecting ₦49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting ₦100,000,” Musa said.

Musa Rejects Claims of Poor Feeding in the Military

The Defence Minister also pushed back against allegations that Nigerian soldiers are poorly fed, dismissing viral claims made by social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack.

Musa described the allegations as deceptive and accused the influencer of manipulating videos circulated online to create a false impression about conditions within military formations.

According to him, meals provided to soldiers contained adequate food items, including meat, but were deliberately altered before being filmed.

“The soldiers’ food was okay. There was meat and other things, but he told them to pull them out and make it look like those things were not there,” the minister alleged.

Controversial Videos Sparked Arrests

Justice Crack was arrested in March alongside several soldiers after videos surfaced online alleging poor feeding standards and inadequate welfare provisions within the Nigerian Army.

The Army subsequently announced that its internal investigation found that the influencer had engaged military personnel in discussions capable of fostering dissatisfaction and weakening discipline within the ranks, actions it said violated the Armed Forces’ social media regulations.

Military authorities maintained that the content was designed to portray a distorted picture of soldiers’ welfare and accused the influencer of encouraging personnel to misrepresent conditions in order to spread misleading narratives.

While the soldiers involved were detained in military custody, Justice Crack was transferred to civilian authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution over allegations of misinformation.

Court Grants Bail

The controversy later moved to the courts, and in May, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Justice Crack bail in the sum of ₦5 million, with one surety, as legal proceedings against him continue.

Musa’s comments come amid growing public debate over the welfare of military personnel and the resources available to Nigeria’s security agencies as they confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats across the country.