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Soldiers now feeding well, we increased monthly salary from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000 – Defense Minister
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has disclosed that the Federal Government has increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000, while dismissing claims that troops are poorly fed.
Musa made the disclosure during an interview with News Central on Wednesday ahead of the broadcast of its NC Exclusive programme scheduled for Friday.
Despite the salary increase, the minister admitted that the country’s defence budget remains inadequate.
Responding to a question on whether current funding for the military was sufficient, Musa said:
> “It’s not enough.”
He, however, maintained that the Federal Government has made significant efforts to improve the welfare of military personnel, particularly junior soldiers.
> “When they started, a soldier was collecting ₦49,000 monthly. We tried so hard; now he’s collecting ₦100,000,” he said.
The Defence Minister also defended the Nigerian Army over allegations of poor feeding raised by social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack.
According to Musa, the influencer deliberately misrepresented the meals served to soldiers by asking them to remove portions of their food before recording videos.
> “The soldiers’ food was okay. There was meat and other things, but he told them to pull them out and make it look like those things were not there,” Musa alleged.
Justice Crack was arrested in March alongside some soldiers after publishing videos alleging poor feeding and welfare conditions within the Nigerian Army.
The military said its investigation revealed that the influencer engaged soldiers in discussions capable of inciting discontent and subversion, contrary to the Armed Forces’ social media policy.
While the soldiers involved remained in military custody, Justice Crack was handed over to civil authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Nigerian Army also accused the influencer of attempting to spread misinformation by encouraging soldiers to present a false picture of their welfare conditions.
In May, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Justice Crack bail in the sum of ₦5 million with one surety, while his trial continues.
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