Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increases of up to 80% for members of the armed forces, benefiting approximately 250,000 personnel. The new pay structure, announced on Tuesday, will take effect on September 1, raising the annual military wage bill from 660 billion naira to 924 billion naira.

Under the revised package, personnel from private to staff sergeant will receive the highest increase of 80%, those from colonel to warrant officer will get a 50% raise, and officers above the rank of colonel, including generals, will receive a 30% increase.

This salary adjustment is part of broader efforts to improve troop welfare and operational effectiveness as Nigeria continues to face multiple security threats, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents in the northeast, armed bandits in the northwest, and widespread kidnappings across several regions.

President Tinubu stated that the pay increase recognizes the sacrifices made by military personnel and reaffirmed his administration's commitment to improving troop welfare while modernizing the armed forces with better equipment and technology. Senator Abdulaziz Yar'Adua, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, described the salary increase as a timely morale booster that would strengthen the fighting spirit of troops confronting insecurity nationwide.

The government emphasized that about 250,000 military personnel will benefit from the revised pay structure, which adds 264 billion naira to the annual military wage bill.

Sources