- Military Demand Immediate Implementation Of ₦250,000 Minimum Wage For Armed Forces
- Retirees alleged approved military salary review remains unimplemented.
- Veterans threatened peaceful protest over continued delay in implementation.
Military veterans have called on the Federal Government to immediately implement the approved ₦250,000 minimum wage for serving members of the Armed Forces, alleging that authorities have delayed the execution of a salary review already approved by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
The demand was made on Monday during a retreat attended by more than 70 retired military officers at the Armed Forces Headquarters Command Mess 1 in Abuja.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, who was expected at the meeting, was represented by five senior military officers after attending an engagement at the Presidential Villa.
Speaking after the meeting, one of the organisers, retired Colonel Innocent Azubike, said the veterans submitted documentary evidence supporting their claims to the officers representing the CDS.
According to him, the officers acknowledged the issues raised and promised to brief the defence chief upon his return.
> “The five generals that represented the CDS collected the papers presented by veterans and accepted what the veterans said as facts. They said they would submit their report to the CDS immediately he comes back from the State House,” Azubike said.
The retired officer expressed disappointment over the continued delay in implementing the revised salary structure, claiming that the National Assembly approved the review in October 2025 after comparing Nigeria’s military salaries with those of other African countries.
He alleged that lawmakers fixed ₦250,000 as the minimum salary for the least paid soldier and directed that funding for the adjustment be captured in the 2026 budget, adding that President Tinubu assented to the bill in November 2025 with three months’ arrears.
Azubike, however, accused the Ministry of Defence and military authorities of later denying knowledge of the approved salary review.
He also faulted recent claims that the military minimum wage had only been increased from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000, insisting the figure reflected the 2024 national minimum wage and not the separate military salary review.
The veterans warned they would proceed with a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance if the government failed to provide a satisfactory response within a week.
According to Azubike, the demonstration is intended to demand accountability over the implementation of the approved salary increment and the release of funds appropriated for the exercise.
He urged the Federal Government to fulfil its commitment to serving military personnel by implementing the revised salary structure without further delay.
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