One Hundred Thousand Naira Salary for Nigerian Soldiers, Why?

A few days back I read a news report where the Nigerian minister of defense, General Christopher Musa, reportedly said the minimum wage for soldiers in Nigeria is N100,000. Not only that, he said it was formerly N49,000. That means a recruit into the Nigeria army prior to the increment was receiving N49k as salary. Now, the least officer is collecting N100k as monthly pay.

I don't seem to understand why the Nigerian government should treat the military men in that form. And we want them to put in their best in the security of Nigerian lives and properties. These are men who are sacrificing their lives on daily basis for the protection of people of this nation.

Just imagine the recent release of the Oyo State school children and their teachers. Despite it took more time than necessary, you can imagine how much sacrifice they made, risking their lives to rescue those innocent school children. According to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, some soldiers paid the supreme price in their quest to rescue the children and their teachers from their abductors.

In the news, the report says the defense minister, Christopher Musa, said the government of Nigeria has improved the welfare of men of the armed forces. So, General Musa is telling us that N100,000 is an improvement in the welfare of soldiers. Musa must have forgotten the cost of living in this nation. A family living on a N100,000 monthly in this nation is definitely passing through challenges.

These officers have wives and children whom they cater for. They pay rent, they pay their children's school fees. They feed their family members back home and take care of their overall welfare. All these from their take home pay of N100,000. Does that make sense at all? In this present day Nigeria that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made every commodity very expensive, a soldier is going home with N100k every month. This is absolutely not too good for Nigerian soldiers.

Yes, some will say that's the minimum wage, other senior officers are receiving higher. We are not disputing that. Senior officers are definitely receiving higher than that. Agreed, but we should know that it is this group of recruits that they send to the battle field. It is the Junior officers they push to the warfront to battle Boko Haram, I SWAP, and bandits. Many have been in the battlefront for long, fighting with Boko Haram and bandits, but going home monthly with a paltry N100,000.

Our nation must grow out of this. The welfare of Nigerian soldiers should be seen as a priority if we must move forward in the security of this nation. People that hazard their lives, sign death warrant, knowing that any day, death will come because of the nature of our society, we should take their welfare higher than what it is at the moment.

As the reports went viral, nationals of other countries were seen mocking Nigeria because of the low pay for Nigerian soldiers. To them, it's like a day or at most weekly payment but many were taken aback when they discovered that it is monthly payment. Some said that must be the reason for the low morale in fighting Boko Haram and bandits in the country.

Let's ask ourselves this question. What can N100,000 do for a family of three, four, five or six in this present day Nigeria? One hundred thousand naira cannot go beyond a week. So, what happens for the remaining days of the month?