Increase Salaries of Armed Forces personnel for motivation and performance enhancement

Increase Salaries of Armed Forces personnel for motivation and performance enhancement

Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has called on the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, and other Service Chiefs to advocate for better remuneration for Nigerian Armed Forces personnel as a way to enhance motivation and performance.

Ndume made the appeal on Thursday in a statement issued in Abuja, shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decorated the officers with their new ranks at the Presidential Villa.

The new military leadership was screened and confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, including Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff.

In his statement, Ndume, who represents Borno South and served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army during the Ninth Senate, emphasized that:

“Better remuneration is key in boosting the morale of the military in the fight against insurgency, banditry, and other threats inimical to the security of lives and property of Nigerians.”

He urged the Service Chiefs to prioritise welfare improvements as part of efforts to strengthen the Armed Forces’ capacity to protect the nation.

He said: “I have identified four pillars that would make our military formidable at all times and keep security threats in abeyance. This is what I have tagged as TEAM. The first is Training, second is Equipment, Ammunitions and Motivations, in that order.”

The lawmaker also advocated that the present administration should ensure that the military budget be accorded priority by being placed in the First Line Charge.

“The annual budget of the Armed Forces and Other Security forces should be in the First Line Charge and it shouldn’t be discretionary. They should be front loaded.”

Arguing further for better remuneration, the former Senate Leader noted that the salary and allowances of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces are nothing to write home about compared with their counterparts in neighboring West African states.

“In Ghana, the entry-level pay for a private soldier is equivalent to about N180,000 per month; in South Africa, the basic pay for enlisted personnel starts at about N250,000 monthly (converted).

“In Egypt, junior enlisted officers earn the equivalent of N230,000–N280,000 monthly; and in Kenya, a private earns about N200,000, excluding operational allowances.

“In Nigeria, the average private soldier earns significantly less despite higher deployment frequency and operational demands.

“The current remuneration and minimum entry-level wage for many personnel across these services have been outpaced by rising living costs, with knock-on effects on morale, recruitment, retention, and operational effectiveness—particularly for personnel deployed in high-risk theatres and remote locations.”