The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has said the Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly wage of Nigerian soldiers to ₦100,000 as part of efforts to improve their welfare.
Speaking in an interview with News Central on Wednesday, the minister said the military remained underfunded despite the increase in personnel remuneration.
Responding to a question on whether the current defence budget was adequate, he replied: “It is not enough.”
He said the government had substantially improved soldiers’ pay, noting that the minimum monthly salary had risen from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting ₦49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting ₦100,000,” he said.
The minister also advocated the introduction of the death penalty for convicted kidnappers, arguing that tougher sanctions were needed to curb the growing incidence of abductions across the country.
