Nigeria military salaries to rise by up to 80%

Nigeria will raise military salaries by between 30% and 80% from September, presidential media adviser Bayo Onanuga said, as the government seeks to boost morale among troops facing widespread insecurity.

Onanuga said officers above colonel will receive a 30% increase, personnel from colonel down to warrant officer will receive 50%, and privates to staff sergeants will receive 80%.

The pay package covers about 250,000 personnel and will lift the armed forces' annual wage bill to 924 billion naira, about $678 million, from 660 billion naira, according to the presidency.

Two military officials told AFP that the lowest-paid military personnel, a private, earns 100,000 naira, about $73, in basic monthly salary.

The increase comes as many Nigerians face higher living costs. Inflation reached 30% in 2024 before slowing to 15.91% in June, while fuel prices have more than tripled in four years. The World Bank says about 61% of Nigerians live in poverty, up four percentage points since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023.

Nigeria is dealing with a jihadist insurgency in the northeast, farmer-herder conflict in the north central region, secessionist violence in the southeast and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest.