Wetin dey inside Tinubu new salary package for Nigeria military

President Bola Tinubu don approve salary increase for Nigerian armed forces personnel.

Di Nigerian leader announce say di salary increase go dey between 30 and 80 per cent.

For July Nigeria Defence Minister Christopher Musa start ogbonge controversy for social media as e reveal say di President Bola Tinubu administration don increase di minimum wage for Nigeria soldiers to one hundred thousand naira, dat na less dan $100.

"Wen dem (di Tinubu administration) bin start, a soldier bin dey collect 49 thousand naira monthly. We try so hard, now dem dey collect 100 thousand naira," Musa tok, and add say "e still no dey enuf", Musa tok.

Di comment generate plenty tok-tok among Nigerians for social media as dem tok say di amount too small for pipo wey dey put dia life for risk all di time, fighting bandits and terrorists.

However, during one recent workshop for Abuja, di defence minister say President Tinubu go soon announce new salary increase for armed forces personnel as part of di Nigeria govment effort to improve troops welfare.

"I wan tok for hia say few weeks ago, I bin mention say sojas now dey receive ₦100,000, and I know say e generate both positive and negative reactions.

"Wen I be chief of defence staff, sojas bin dey receive N49,000. About two years ago, I push make e increase to N100,000, and we achieve am.

"We dey make further efforts to increase am again. We know our President na father wey dey listen and pesin wey understand di sacrifices our troops dey make and e dey committed to ensuring say dem dey well paid. So, I dey confident say very soon, Mr. President go announce anoda salary increase for our men," Oga Musa tok.

However, di senior special adviser to di president on media Bayo Onanuga for statement on Tuesday 4 August say about 250,000 personnel dey expected to benefit from di new deal, wey go bicom effective from 1 September.

Di presidency explain say under di new arrangement, officers above di rank of colonel go enjoy 30 per cent salary increase. Dis apply to Brigadier-Generals, Major-Generals, Lieutenant Generals and Generals.

While personnel from colonel down to warrant officer go receive 50 per cent increase, and Private to Staff Sergeant go get 80 per cent increase.

"Di pay package go increase di yearly salary bill for di kontri armed forces personnel from N660 billion to N924 billion," di presidency add.

Di president wey hail di service of di armed forces, say im administration go continue to prioritise troop welfare and modernise di armed forces by providing di weapons and technology tools dem need to discharge dia duties.

E also say male di servicemen see di gesture as sign of dia deep appreciation of di services dem render to di kontri.

"Our administration believe say no nation fit achieve greatness without security. We therefore tanda gidigba in mobilising all military and law enforcement assets to eliminate security threats and protect di lives and property of all Nigerians."

Soldiers Salary in Nigeria vs oda African kontris

E no get any one database wey dey collate di monetary benefits for military personnel for Africa. In many kontris, dat information no dey publicly available.

However, e get organisations and statistical firms wey dia job include gathering such data as much as dem fit get.

Hia na how much di least ranked soldiers dey earn as dia base pay for Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, according to Statisense, one ogbonge statistics organisation for Nigeria.

For a soldier wit di rank of 'Private' -

Nigeria: ₦104,000 ($64)

Ghana: GHS 1,000 to 1,500 (₦157,000 – ₦235,000)

South Africa: R8,000 to R12,000 (₦704,000 – ₦1.06 Million)

Statisense also quote data showing dat a military officer wit di rank of Major General for Nigeria dey earn about just over 1.15 million naira monthly, and dis amount dey eight times less dan wetin im counterpart wit di same rank for South Africa dey earn: R120,000 or ₦9,999,600 using di current exchange rate.

BBC News Pidgin neva independently verify dis figures.

Both Nigeria and South Africa dey for di top five largest economies for Africa.

Tinubu promise

On 7 March 2026, President Bola Tinubu bin annouce say e don approve to increase di salary for military personnel across di kontri.

Tinubu bin make di announcement for one small gathering for di State House to break di Ramadan fasting wit im Service Chiefs.

"My duty na to thank all of una on behalf of a grateful nation, knowing fully well say many times una dey witout una families, some dey face attacks from banditry and terrorists.

"Dis nation go always dey grateful to una and una sufferings no go be in vain. I dey assure una say we go do evritin possible to make sure say una no get any regrets.

"Una welfare, accommodation and many oda opportunities wey suppose come to una families go take first priority for our decisions."

Sabi pipo for security mata tok say dis promise by di President never dey implemented.

For April dis year, one former soldier for di Nigeria Army wey dey popular on social media as 'sojaboy', tok for one podcast say im last salary bifor e comot from di army na betwin 109,000 and 111,000 naira.

"And na for February last year (2025) dem increase am. Bifor den, na 51,000 plus one allowance of 20,000 making it 71,000 naira," Sojaboy tok.

Soja boy claim say apart from di salary, notin more dey enter pesin pocket as a soja and "di suffer (to survive) no be small".