Nigeria orders 80% pay rise for junior soldiers amid worsening insecurity

Nigeria has ordered a pay increase of up to 80% for junior soldiers as President Bola Tinubu seeks to bolster the armed forces against worsening insecurity across the country. The move affects the lowest-ranking personnel and comes as the government faces pressure over violence linked to banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and separatist unrest. It is the second salary increase in a month for privates, who will now receive $132 a month from September.

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The latest rise follows a July decision by the defence minister to lift monthly wages for privates from $36 to $73. Tinubu said the increase reflected the government's "deep appreciation" for soldiers confronting what he described as the "scourge of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism". He said the men and women of the armed forces should be supported for their service to the country.

The president also urged servicemen to see the gesture as recognition of their role in protecting the nation. The pay rise is part of a wider security response that has already included a major recruitment drive. Last month, Tinubu ordered the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers and the creation of four new army divisions.

The military's annual wage bill is expected to rise from $484m to $678m as a result of the latest increase. Successive governments in Nigeria have struggled to contain insecurity despite higher military spending and repeated deployments. The decision comes against a backdrop of multiple armed threats that have stretched the security forces for years.

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Islamist insurgents, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, continue to carry out attacks in the north-east. Criminal gangs known locally as bandits operate in parts of the north-west and north-central regions, where they loot villages and kidnap civilians for ransom. In the south-east, separatist unrest remains a further challenge, while clashes between farmers and herders have also caused deadly violence.

The timing is politically significant because continuing insecurity has become a major issue ahead of the 2027 elections. The government is trying to show that it is responding not only with force but also with better pay and expansion of the armed forces. That approach reflects the scale of the challenge, with violence affecting both civilian life and confidence in state security institutions.

It also raises questions about whether higher salaries and more troops will be enough to change conditions on the ground. What remains unclear is how quickly the new pay structure will be implemented in practice and whether it will improve morale or recruitment. It is also not yet clear how the expanded force structure will affect operations against armed groups across Nigeria's different conflict zones.

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