The move will benefit around 250,000 military personnel and reflects the government’s “deep appreciation” for their sacrifices, President Bola Tinubu has said
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increases of up to 80% for the country’s armed forces as Africa’s most populous nation confronts persistent insurgency, banditry, and mass kidnappings – despite record security spending and direct US military support.
The raises will benefit around 250,000 personnel across the army, navy and air force when they take effect on September 1, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced on Tuesday.
Junior personnel will receive an 80% increase, middle-ranking officers 50% and senior officers 30%. According to the presidency, the measure will raise the armed forces’ annual salary from 660 billion naira to 924 billion naira ($600 million).
Tinubu said the increase demonstrates the government’s “deep appreciation” for the sacrifices of service members in protecting the West African nation. The president said his “administration will continue to prioritize troop welfare and modernize the armed forces by providing the weapons and technological tools needed to discharge their duties.”
The decision comes as Abuja struggles to contain Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in the northeast, as well as armed gangs responsible for deadly attacks and kidnappings for ransom across the northwest and north-central regions.
A United Nations humanitarian snapshot recorded 114 security incidents and 1,932 fatalities in northeastern Nigeria between April and June.
Tinubu declared a national security emergency last November and his government allocated a record 5.41 trillion naira to defense and security in the 2026 budget.
Washington deployed around 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February to provide training, intelligence and surveillance support. While US Africa Command (AFRICOM) claimed the mission had weakened Islamic State’s leadership, Samuel Memeh, chairman of the Nigerian opposition Democratic Leadership Alliance, told RT that the deployment “has not yielded significant improvements” in the country’s security. Most of the US contingent was withdrawn in July.
Last weekend, gunmen reportedly killed at least 12 people, including six members of one family and abducted an unspecified number of women and children in Lajinge village, Sokoto state. A series of mass abductions of schoolchildren has been reported in recent months, including the kidnapping of at least 36 children and a staff member when gunmen raided a secondary school in Borno State while students were taking examinations in June. Militants have also targeted military facilities. Five soldiers were killed in an attack on a base in Mandaragirau earlier that month, according to the Nigerian Army. In March, at least 65 troops were reportedly killed when ISWAP fighters overran several bases across the state.
