Nigerian Soldiers Lament Poor Salaries, Ask Tinubu For Review, Decry Corruption By Military Chiefs
Nigerian Soldiers Lament Poor Salaries, Ask Tinubu For Review, Decry Corruption By Military Chiefs
According to the soldiers, attempts to complain have been met with threats by the army authorities.
Some personnel of the Nigerian Army have again cried out over the nonpayment of their allowances and poor salaries, calling for a review from the President Bola Tinubu-led government.
According to the soldiers, attempts to complain have been met with threats by the army authorities.
They also called for a review of the allowances to reflect the current economic realities of the country.
Soldiers serving in the Nigerian Army have lamented the poor salaries of junior personnel in the country.
The soldiers while speaking to SaharaReporters accused the Nigerian government of failing to improve welfare package for military officers as a gesture to show appreciation for their efforts in securing the country.
They accused service chiefs of corruption and extortion, threatening to resort to lawlessness if their issues are not resolved.
“We the junior ranks of the Nigerian Army which the military authorities deliberately changed our status to the so-called ‘Other Ranks” are calling on President Bola Tinubu to directly handle our welfare and wages,” one of the soldiers said.
“Because we are also citizens of the Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu should please let the presidency handle our salaries and allowances, because most of these salaries and allowances are not fully paid, especially the Scarce Skills allowances which is N100,000 for the ranks.
“However the Army Generals do embezzle the money to their personal accounts. They are paying the junior ranks N20,000 instead of 100,000 approved by the Nigerian government. This has been happening since 2017 that it was fully implemented by Federal Government.
“We are appealing to Mr President Bola Tinubu to please rescue the junior soldiers from these corrupt Generals. This is one of the reasons why soldiers at war zones and other conflict areas are being defeated. Because their morale as soldiers has been devastated by the Army Chief and his Generals. The Chief of Army lacks integrity in handling our allowances. He deviated our Scarce Skills allowances to his personal account.”
Another soldier said they pay for essential items of kit out of their own money.
According to him, they spend their own money on buying uniforms, boots and other items of equipment.
“We buy military kits with the little salaries we receive. Uniforms, boots, mosquito nets, almost everything, as soldiers, we can no longer feed our family for complete thirty days with what we earn. School fees is beyond our power. Mr President should come to our rescue, our Army Generals are diverting our salaries and allowance.
“Our operational allowance also needs to be increased from N45,000 to something reasonable to boast our morale, especially those soldiers in the front line.”
“We soldiers are seriously lamenting on the poor salaries and allowances, I swear to Almighty Allah, I bought desert uniform N40,000 personally, I also bought boot, fairly used for N35,000 few months ago. So I can look very smart and neat before my colleagues sir. Things are failing apart in the system completely,” another soldier added.
“Poor pay, we troops decry struggle with multiple loans and an unending cycle of debts.”
