Nigeria: Tinubu Approves Up to 80% Salary Increase for Nigerian Soldiers

What the report says

President Bola Tinubu has approved a salary increase of 30% to 80% for members of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, according to a statement reported by Premium Times and carried by AllAfrica. The decision, announced by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, is set to take effect on 1 September and is expected to add about N264 billion to the federal government’s annual military wage bill.

The revised pay structure gives the smallest increase to officers above colonel, while colonels through warrant officers are to receive a 50% raise. Soldiers from private to staff sergeant are slated for the largest adjustment at 80%. The presidency said roughly 250,000 personnel would benefit, though it did not provide a full breakdown of the new salary table.

The announcement comes as Nigerian forces remain deployed across multiple security operations, including counter-insurgency campaigns in the northeast and responses to banditry and kidnapping in other parts of the country. Premium Times also noted longstanding complaints from troops about welfare and pay, which gives the move added significance in the context of recruitment, morale and battlefield effectiveness.

More broadly, the salary review appears to be part of the Tinubu administration’s effort to improve troop welfare alongside equipment and technology upgrades. The presidency said the president views stronger support for soldiers as necessary to address security threats and protect civilians, though the exact impact on individual pay remains unclear until the revised scale is published.