The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has disclosed that the Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers to N100,000 as part of ongoing efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel.
Speaking during an interview monitored by DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS, ahead of its full broadcast on News Central's NC Exclusive programme on Friday, Musa said the salary review reflects the government's commitment to enhancing the living conditions of members of the Armed Forces.
The minister, who previously served as the Chief of Defence Staff, acknowledged that despite the improvement in personnel welfare, the military remains inadequately funded.
Responding to a question on whether the current defence budget is sufficient to meet the needs of the Armed Forces, Musa simply replied, "It's not enough."
He explained that the administration has nevertheless made notable progress in improving soldiers' earnings.
"When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he's collecting N100,000," the minister stated.
On the growing challenge of kidnapping across the country, Musa advocated the introduction of the death penalty for convicted kidnappers, arguing that stronger punishment is necessary to discourage criminal activities.
"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.
The Defence Minister also commented on the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, describing the incident as unfortunate. According to him, the kidnappers are using the children as bargaining tools in an attempt to secure the release of some of their commanders currently being held by the military.
"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," Musa said.
He further revealed that the abductors had threatened to kill the children if security personnel moved closer to their hideout during rescue operations.
"They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they're going to kill all the kids," he added.
Addressing allegations circulating on social media regarding poor feeding conditions within the military, Musa dismissed the claims, insisting that they do not reflect the true situation.
Referring to an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, the minister alleged that the officer deliberately created a misleading impression about the quality of food served to soldiers.
According to Musa, the meals provided to personnel contained meat and other food items, but the officer allegedly removed those items before recording or displaying the food in order to portray the military's feeding arrangements in a negative light.
"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.
ADEOLA KUNLE
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