Christopher Musa made the disclosure during an interview on News Central on Wednesday, where he highlighted recent improvements in the welfare of military personnel.
According to the minister, Nigerian soldiers previously earned a monthly salary of ₦49,000 before the government approved the increase.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting ₦49,000 monthly. We tried so hard. Now he’s collecting ₦100,000,” Musa said.
Speaking on the welfare of troops, the minister dismissed allegations that soldiers fighting insurgency across the country are poorly fed.
He referenced a viral social media video shared by social media personality Justice Crack, who claimed soldiers were being served inadequate meals. Musa insisted that the video misrepresented the actual situation.
According to him, the food served to the soldiers contained meat and other food items, but these were allegedly removed before the recording to create a misleading impression.
“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 stated.
Despite the improvements in welfare, Musa acknowledged that the Nigerian military continues to experience funding challenges, stressing that additional resources are needed to strengthen operations and improve conditions for personnel.
Commenting on the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, the minister described the incident as unfortunate and alleged that the kidnappers were attempting to pressure security agencies into releasing some of their detained commanders.
According to him, intelligence indicated that the abductors intended to use the children as bargaining tools.
“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.
Musa further revealed that the kidnappers had 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.
The Nigerian soldiers’ monthly salary increase forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to improve military welfare as security agencies continue operations against insurgency, banditry and kidnapping across different parts of the country.
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