The new salary structure recently approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for personnel of the Armed Forces will raise the monthly pay of a general to N3.25 million and that of a Private to N187,200. The pay rise, which takes effect from September 1, 2026, provides increases ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent across different ranks of military personnel. About 250,000 personnel are expected to benefit from the new pay package, which will increase the annual salary bill for the Armed Forces from N660 billion to N924 billion, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Under the new arrangement, officers above the rank of Colonel will receive a 30 per cent salary increase. This applies to brigadier-generals, major-generals, lieutenant-generals and generals. Personnel from colonel down to warrant officer will receive a 50 per cent increase, while privates to staff sergeants will receive an 80 per cent increase. The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, had, in an interview with News Central last month, disclosed that the Tinubu administration had increased the minimum monthly salary of soldiers from N49,000 to N100,000. A Daily Trust analysis had revealed that the N100,000 could only feed a soldier for 21 days based on the National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) report, which put the cost of a healthy diet – breakfast, lunch or dinner – for one adult at N1,589 daily. The analysis also showed that soldiers in other African countries such as South Africa, Niger and Benin Republic earned as much as 200 per cent to 800 per cent higher than their counterparts in Nigeria. Civil society organisations had queried whether the pay would be enough to support a soldier and his family in an economy where the cost of living continues to climb. Also, a former Defence Spokesperson, Major General John Enenche (rtd), had called for an upward review of the soldiers’ salary, recommending a minimum monthly pay of N250,000 because the current remuneration no longer reflects the country’s economic realities or the sacrifices demanded by military service. Speaking on the latest salary review, President Tinubu explained that the decision to increase the military personnel’s pay was aimed at recognising the sacrifices of servicemen and women confronting banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. “The men and women who help to keep us safe in our homes must be supported and appreciated in the course of their duties to our nation,” Tinubu said in the statement. He added that his administration would continue to prioritise troop welfare while modernising the Armed Forces with weapons and technological tools. An analysis of the salary figures by Daily Trust based on the current salary scale obtained from RecruitUltra – an online platform that publishes salaries of military and paramilitary forces – and the percentage increases announced by the President, shows the scale of the changes across the ranks. Defence Headquarters What each rank will earn as new salary Among non-commissioned personnel, a private whose current salary is N104,000, will earn about N187,200 under the new structure, representing an increase of N83,200 monthly. A lance corporal will move from N112,000 to N201,600, gaining N89,600; and a corporal, from N115,000 to N207,000, an increase of N92,000. A sergeant will see his or her salary rise from N125,000 to N225,000, representing an additional N100,000 monthly. For a staff sergeant, the salary will be increased from N150,000 to N270,000, giving the rank N120,000 more each month. A warrant officer will move from N170,000 to N255,000, an increase of N85,000; while a master warrant officer will earn N315,000, up from N210,000, representing a N105,000 increase. An army warrant officer will move from N230,000 to N345,000, gaining N115,000 monthly. The salary gains become considerably higher in absolute terms for commissioned officers. A second lieutenant will move from N240,000 to N360,000, representing an increase of N120,000 monthly; a lieutenant, from N280,000 to N420,000; a captain, from N320,000 to N480,000; a major, from N380,000 to N570,000; a lieutenant colonel, from N420,000 to N630,000; and a colonel, from N580,000 to N870,000. As expected, the highest-ranking officers will receive the highest pay under the new structure. A brigadier-general will move from N750,000 to N975,000, representing an additional N225,000 monthly; a major-general, from N1.15 million to N1.495 million; a lieutenant general, from N1.9 million to N2.47 million, an increase of N570,000; and a general, from N2.5 million to N3.25 million. Salary not the only package The Manual for Financial Administration of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (MAFA), signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2018, states that “personnel remuneration is governed by the Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure, CONAFSS, alongside other finan
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