The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has revealed that the Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers to ₦100,000 as part of efforts to improve their welfare.
Musa made the disclosure in an interview with News Central ahead of the broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme on Friday.
Despite the salary increase, the Defence Minister said the military remains underfunded.
Responding to a question on whether the current defence budget was adequate, he replied, “It’s not enough.”
He, however, noted that the government has made significant progress in improving the welfare of military personnel, particularly through salary adjustments.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting N100,000,” Musa said.
The minister also called for tougher penalties for kidnapping, stressing that stricter punishment would help deter the crime.
“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.
