The Nigerian Armed force has supported a vertical survey of month to month proportion allowance to soldiers, taking it from N1,000 to N1,200 ($1.50) in an update shared on social media.
The approval, which censured rising difficulties for troops following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, came on July 27, as per the reminder endorsed by Emmanuel Emekah, a significant general, for the chief of armed force staff, Taoreed Lagbaja. How the update spilled on social media was indistinct, yet officials affirmed its validness to Peoples Gazette.
"Sequel to the new removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government of Nigeria, with its orderly ascent in the costs of goods and services across the country, the COAS has thoughtfully supported vertical survey of proportion cash allowance of troops from N1,000 to N1,200 with impact from August 2023," Mr Emekah said. While the allowance is discrete from month to month salaries, soldiers have proactively begun protesting about the poor compensation in the military.
“Members of my unit are already complaining that the allowance is just too poor,” a lieutenant told The Gazette by telephone Wednesday afternoon. “They were expecting about N5,000 in ration allowance because their salaries are too low already.”
“Most of them earn less than N70,000 per month,” the lieutenant added under anonymity to comment on internal brass decisions. A spokesman for the Nigerian Army did not immediately return a request seeking comments about the announcement.
The development memo surfaced as Nigerians are groaning over the new subsidy regime, which has seen commodity prices rise exponentially following Mr Tinubu’s decision to stop subsidising petrol for Nigerian households.
Protests were held across the country as part of efforts among labour unions to force the president to reconsider the policy, which was first introduced in the 1970s when the Nigerian economy became increasingly dependent on crude exports.
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