Di Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, don tok say di federal government don increase di minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000. E make dis statement during interview with News Central on Wednesday.
Musa also dismiss claims say troops dey poorly fed. E say di military remain underfunded, but di government don improve personnel welfare.
When dem ask am if di current defence budget enough, e answer, “E no enough.”
E explain say dem try well well for di welfare of rank-and-file soldiers. “When dem start, a soldier dey collect N49,000 monthly. We try so hard; now e dey collect N100,000,” e yarn.
Musa also defend how di Nigerian Army handle di case of social media influencer Justice Mark Chidiebere, wey dem call Justice Crack. Di army arrest am after e post videos wey allege poor feeding and welfare among soldiers.
According to di minister, di influencer deliberately distort di situation by asking soldiers to remove portions of dia meal before recording di videos. “Di soldiers’ food okay. Dey get meat and other tins, but e tell dem to pull dem out and make am look like those tins no dey,” Musa allege.
Justice Crack arrest in March alongside some soldiers after e post videos wey highlight alleged poor feeding and welfare conditions inside di Nigerian Army. Di army say dia investigation find say di influencer engage soldiers for discussions wey aim to incite discontent and subversion, contrary to di armed forces’ social media policy.
While di soldiers remain for military custody, dem hand over Justice Crack to civil authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution. Di army also accuse am of attempting to spread misinformation by encouraging soldiers to portray dia welfare conditions inaccurately.
For May, di Federal High Court for Abuja grant Justice Crack bail for di sum of N5 million with one surety, while e trial continue.
