The minister of defence, Christopher Musa, has revealed that Nigerian soldiers now get a minimum monthly wage of N100,000 as a result of the federal government’s recent evaluation of their welfare.
Musa revealed this in an interview with News Central on Wednesday, which will air on Friday’s NC Exclusive programme.
The former Chief of Defence Staff also noted that the military remained underfunded, despite improvements in personnel welfare.
When asked if the present defence budget was adequate, the minister responded, “It’s not enough.”
He, however, stated that the federal government had significantly improved soldiers’ salaries.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
Musa also advocated the introduction of the death penalty for kidnappers, saying stiffer punishment was needed to curb the growing 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,” Musa said.
Commenting on the latest kidnapping of students in Oyo State, the minister described it as terrible, claiming that the kidnappers were seeking to push the military to release some of their incarcerated 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.
According to the minister, the kidnappers also threatened to kill the children if security forces intensified rescue operations.
“They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” he added.
Musa also denied allegations of poor feeding in the military, insisting that claims circulating in the public space were misleading.
Referring to an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, he claimed that the officer deliberately 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,” the minister said.
