Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has said soldiers now receive a minimum monthly salary of N100,000 after the Federal Government reviewed their welfare.
Musa made this known during an interview with News Central on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s NC Exclusive programme.
The former Chief of Defence Staff also admitted that the military still lacks enough funding despite the improvement in soldiers’ welfare.
When asked if the current defence budget was enough, he replied, “It’s not enough.”
He said the government had made major changes to soldiers’ pay.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly. We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
Musa also backed the death penalty for kidnappers, saying tougher punishment is needed to stop the rising cases of abductions across the country.
“I think we should do that. There must be deterrence. The laws are soft, and that’s why people take advantage. If they know once you commit an offence, there must be punishment,” Musa said.
Speaking on the recent kidnapping of pupils in Oyo State, the minister described it as unfortunate. He alleged that the kidnappers wanted to pressure the military into releasing some of their detained commanders.
“You know, 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.
He added that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the children if security forces moved closer during rescue efforts.
“They are now threatening that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” he added.
Musa also rejected claims that soldiers are poorly fed, insisting the reports making the rounds are misleading.
Referring to an incident involving a military officer identified as Justice Crack, he alleged that the officer intentionally gave a false impression about the meals served to soldiers.
“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 said.
