A former Director of Defence Information, Major General John Enenche (retd.), has urged the Federal Government to further improve the welfare of Nigerian soldiers by raising the minimum monthly salary for rank-and-file personnel to ₦250,000.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV on Sunday, July 26, the retired military officer said the proposed amount would better reflect the country’s current economic realities and the sacrifices demanded by military service.
“For me, a Nigerian soldier from the base, shouldn’t be paid anything less than ₦250,000 per month,” Enenche said.
Explaining the basis for his proposal, he argued that the amount was only a modest benchmark when compared with the rising cost of living, particularly food expenses.
“Because if you prorate it against expectations, look at how much they spend on feeding. That is feeding alone. That is just a baseline for me,” he said.
Responding to arguments that soldiers already benefit from government-provided accommodation, uniforms and weapons, Enenche insisted that such provisions should not be viewed as substitutes for decent pay.
“A soldier is somebody that has sacrificed all. You have bought his time. A soldier is not a mercenary. So how can he go and buy his gun? It’s only a mercenary that will go and buy his gun and come and fight for you,” he said.
He stressed that military personnel remain on duty at all times, even after retirement, because they can still be called upon to serve.
“No soldier is ever off-duty, even as I’m retired now. Chief of Defence Staff calls me now, ‘General Enenche, sir, we want you to…’ I would do it, even in retirement,” he said.
Enenche also noted that the nature of military service leaves little room for soldiers to pursue side businesses or farming to supplement their income.
“A soldier does not go to farm… where is the time to go to farm?” he asked, pointing out that soldiers do not enjoy the flexibility available to many civil servants.
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He further argued that transportation costs and other daily expenses have risen significantly, making higher wages necessary.
“Even this ₦250,000 I’m talking about is modest.
“Now, if a soldier’s wife wants to enter a vehicle, because they are not imprisoned in the barracks anyway, or the soldier wants to go out, what is transport fare now? There’s no transport fare in Abuja here that, as I was made to understand, that’s less than, on average, ₦1,000 to ₦2,000 to go somewhere.
“So, that is the consideration that I am looking at, and I’m proposing and requesting that modestly weigh it against other competing demands on the government. Yes, if they can, and I know, I believe it should be doable,” he said.
The retired general added that any salary increase should be reflected across all ranks of the Armed Forces in line with the existing remuneration structure.
“I suggest and recommend, if possible, within available resources and considering other competing demands from other sectors of the economy, the soldier, the airman, the rating…”
When asked if he was specifically proposing a ₦250,000 minimum salary, Enenche replied, “That is my recommendation, my suggestion.”
His comments come only weeks after the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, announced that the Federal Government had increased the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000 as part of efforts to improve military welfare.
Despite the increase, the minister acknowledged that the Armed Forces remain underfunded and require greater investment to effectively meet their operational responsibilities.
Calls for improved welfare for Nigerian troops have intensified in recent years amid prolonged counter-insurgency operations, anti-bandit campaigns and other internal security missions.
Security experts have repeatedly argued that better salaries, improved equipment and enhanced living conditions are essential to boosting morale and operational effectiveness within the Armed Forces.