The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has disclosed that Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000 following a review of military welfare by the Federal Government.
The minister made this known during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, where he also acknowledged that the country’s defence budget remained inadequate despite recent improvements in personnel welfare.
Responding to a question on whether the current defence allocation was sufficient, Badaru said, “It’s not enough.”
He, however, noted that the Federal Government had made significant progress in improving the earnings of military personnel.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
The minister also called for stricter punishment for kidnappers, advocating the introduction of the death penalty as a deterrent against the rising 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,” Badaru stated.
Speaking on the recent abduction of pupils in Oyo State, the minister described the incident as unfortunate and alleged that the kidnappers were using the children as leverage to secure the release of some of their detained commanders.
“You know, it’s a very sad event. Unfortunately, bad things do happen. For whatever reason, they are looking for leverage because we have some of their commanders with us, and they feel taking these kids and holding them to ransom will make us release their commander,” he said.
He further claimed that the abductors had threatened to kill the children if security operatives attempted a rescue mission.
“They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” the minister added.
Badaru also dismissed allegations of poor feeding within the military, insisting that reports circulating in the public space were misleading.
Referring to an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, he alleged that the officer intentionally created a false impression about the quality of meals served to soldiers.
“The soldier’s food was okay. There was meat; there was all this. But he told them to pull out those things and make it look as if those things were not there,” he said.
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