Nigerian Army Locks Up Soldier Earning N50,000, Who Lamented Inability To Visit Family Over Alarming N70,000 Transport Fare

A Nigerian soldier stationed in Maiduguri, Borno State who expressed his frustration at being unable to visit his family due to the transport fare has been detained by the army, military sources told SaharaReporters.

The soldier had in a trending video lamented how he spent one year in the bush in Borno and was given a pass to visit his family but could not go because of his N50,000 salary.

He said he was told at the motor park that the transport fare to his town was N35,000, meaning that the trip would cost him N70,000 to and fro.

Speaking in pidgin English, the soldier said, "See wahala oo, the Nigerian Army gave me a pass as I spent one year in Maiduguri today, they gave me a pass to go and see my family.

"As I left the bush, I reached the park and they (transporters) told me that from here to my town is N35,000. I calculated it and going and coming back is N70,000 and N50,000 is my salary that I was paid this month.

“I don't have any option again; I'm going back to the bush.”

Multiple sources on Tuesday told SaharaReporters that the soldier had been locked up in the ‘guardroom’ for days over the video, considered embarrassing by the army authorities.

“Our colleague who complained about the transport fare more than his salary has been locked up in the guardroom,” one of the sources said.

SaharaReporters had reported how the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said that soldiers and military officers earn less than N50,000 as monthly salaries while Generals and soldiers on operations get N1,200 for feeding daily.

The CDS disclosed this during an interview where he said that Nigerian soldiers and military officers were doing well and therefore should be paid salaries that were worth the jobs to encourage them to do more.

SaharaReporters has done several reports on soldiers lamenting poor feeding, poor salaries, poor medical treatment and poor welfare packages in general despite abandoning their families, putting their lives on the line with massive promises by the Nigerian government.

On December 11, SaharaReporters reported how troops attached to 145 Taskforce Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Damasak, Borno State for Operation Hadi Kai lamented the alleged misuse of power against their rights by their Commanding Officer.

The soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of victimization also lamented acute hunger.

The soldiers who lamented that they were not being properly fed, called for the immediate intervention of President Bola Tinubu and military chiefs to address the issue of poor treatment of soldiers on the front lines, sacrificing their lives daily.

Apart from not being given good food, the soldiers lamented that many of their colleagues had been killed by terrorists because the military lacked adequate firepower and equipment to combat the insurgents.

In what seems to be the affirmation of the claims made by the soldiers, the Chief of Defence Staff said, “The issue of ration cash allowance where we feed, any time we are on operations, I, as a General I’m being fed on N1,200 per day with my soldiers, from the first General to the last soldier, the same amount. That is what we manage with.

“My soldiers collect less than N50,000 for a salary a month. We all know the situation on ground. My appeal is for them to have salaries that are worth the work they are doing. We deserve to have that so that it will encourage them to do more.

“We have a lot of them that have been injured, families separated for a very long time. These are the morale aspect of it that we check to actually ginger the troops to want to do more.”

https://saharareporters.com/2024/02/06/exclusive-nigerian-army-locks-soldier-earning-n50000-who-lamented-inability-visit-family

Previous Thread https://www.nairaland.com/7987553/salary-not-enough-transport-fare

Not a fan of Nnamdi Kanu, but with news like this, you have to agree with him that this country is exactly the ZOO he described it to be.


Very Shameful.

Can any good thing still come out of Nigeria? I need answers please.

I knew it will come to to this.

The culture of enforced silence amidst suffering and maltreatment in our military is distasteful .

I don't really understand this country, nothing seems to be working. Japa might be the next option.

Nigeria on d other syd

Their allowances are given directly to their commanders in the front line.
The commander will either cut it and give each of them 1/3 or nothing at all.

Caramia2020:
I don't really understand this country, nothing seems to be working. Japa might be the next option.

Japa now needs min of 15million

What a shame!

50k for even a single man is an insult

Lobatan

Everything is gradually falling in place, waiting for when the elastic limit is reached, then breaking point when Nigerians will rise and hunt the corrupt politicians and the military and police will in support join Nigerians to fix things. That time is near b4 then let’s all drink from the butter cup

He guffed up big time... there are military rules and ways of engagement. You don't go to social media to lament ur ordeal while they are several channels to do that. As a lieutenant I'm in full support of his detention so to serve as a deterrent to other erring soldiers....... Clout or real, ,, punishment must be meted out!

Maybe an allowance not salary

Kai, na wah. 50k, less than 30 pounds, less that a full tank!
Anyway, the righteous will survive.
I did not watch the video, but God bless the soldier.

Tomorrow now, Ex military men will take up arms and rob banks and they'll be very tactical about it, police go dey run shelter skelter. This is how it begins. See am here, na like this e dey start.


Ever wonder why terrorists grow so bold and after k!lling them, they still grow in numbers??... This is why. Some of them are soldiers who have gone AWOL

Funny

Imagine how much you pay a man with gun, and family. What will his side hustle likely to be?
Some people can guess

The great Tinubulation

When Igbos don't participate in the Military recruitment exercises in Nigeria you guys say they are not partrotic... Imagine 50k in a month as salary for someone protecting the nation.

ijustdey:
Nigerian Army Locks Up Soldier Earning N50,000, Who Lamented Inability To Visit Family Over Alarming N70,000 Transport Fare



https://saharareporters.com/2024/02/06/exclusive-nigerian-army-locks-soldier-earning-n50000-who-lamented-inability-visit-family

Previous Thread https://www.nairaland.com/7987553/salary-not-enough-transport-fare

Nigeria is in trouble, big one . May God help her.

Bullshit. These junior officers might take up arms against their bosses ooo. . . God abeg ooo.

Naija is not worth risking your life for

His crime was that video. NA, truly how much una dey pay?
Let's epp una maybe FG go reason una increase una pay!
Abi una no reason am?

🥵

Die in silence. God have mercy