A Nigerian soldier stationed in Maiduguri, Borno State, has expressed his dissatisfaction at being unable to see his family due to transit costs that he claims are higher than his income.
In a viral video, the soldier expresses his anguish and sadness at not being allowed to visit his family after spending a year in the Borno State wilderness.
He claimed in the video that the cost of transportation to his homeland is N35,000, or N70,000 for a round journey, despite earning a monthly salary of N50,000.
Speaking in Pidgin-English, the soldier can be heard saying, “See wahala oo, the Nigerian Army gave me a pass to travel and see my family because I spent one
year in Maiduguri
“As I left the bush, I reached the park and they told me that from here to my town is N35,000. I calculated it and going and coming back is N70,000 and my salary that I was paid this month was N50,000.
“I don’t have any option again, I’m going back to the bush.”
This brings attention to the recent uproar regarding the low wages for Nigeria’s security personnel.
The Senate Majority Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, had on Tuesday, January 24, 2024, expressed concern about the inadequate pay for security agencies, highlighting that recruits receive less than N50,000 per month.
“The recruits are paid less than N50,000 in some cases. How can you pay somebody money that cannot buy him a bag of rice and you expect him to go and sacrifice and put in his best?”
“How can you pay a Nigerian soldier, for example, an allowance of N1,200 as his daily money and pay him N2,000 only as Duty Tour Allowance and put him in the theatre? Some from Lagos, Oyo, and Ondo moved to Maiduguri,” he asked on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He added, “Their parents are expecting that they will send them something monthly and you pay the guy N50,000 or less. These are the major challenges that the government must rise to. Right now we don’t have enough security agencies or personnel to handle the security challenges.”
Ndume emphasised the urgent need for the President to reassess the salaries of the Nigerian Armed Forces, considering that the last review took place in 2008.
He recommended that a thorough evaluation of the salaries of various security agencies be conducted, with a particular focus on enhancing the number of security agencies, especially the police and the Nigerian Army.
Ndume added that it is crucial to ensure that they are properly equipped and motivated.
Last year, the retiring Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Ogun State Command, AbdulRashed Alimi, expressed his concern over the inadequate salary package provided to the officers of the agency.
He stated that workers’ salaries fail to adequately account for the risks associated with their jobs, considering the challenging economic conditions in the country.
