Nigeria marks Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day today amid a troubling contradiction. While the nation honours soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice, those currently fighting on the front lines remain among the poorest-paid military personnel in Africa.
The Defence Headquarters recently released impressive operational statistics: 4,375 suspects were arrested, 2,336 hostages were rescued, and N8.9 billion worth of oil theft was foiled in 2025 alone. But these achievements mask a deeper question that should disturb every Nigerian: how does a country expect soldiers to risk their lives daily while paying them wages that barely sustain their families?
President Bola Tinubu's recent declaration that troop welfare "remains a top priority" rings hollow when measured against the lived reality of non-commissioned officers.
A Nigerian soldier facing Boko Haram terrorists in Borno or confronting bandits in Zamfara takes home compensation that suggests his life is worth substantially less than soldiers performing similar duties elsewhere on the continent.
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The wage disparity within the military itself presents another scandal. The gap between commissioned officers and non-commissioned personnel, who bear the brunt of frontline combat, has widened to an extent that undermines morale and operational effectiveness.
While generals and colonels enjoy comfortable compensation packages, the sergeants and corporals who actually engage terrorists in the bush receive wages that force many to seek supplementary income just to feed their families.
This imbalance is particularly galling when one considers that a roadside Improvised Explosive Device does not discriminate between ranks; the sergeant and the general face the same lethal threat, yet their compensation suggests wildly different valuations of their lives.
Troops confront asymmetric threats ranging from Boko Haram and ISWAP to the emerging Lakurawa terrorist group, armed bandits, pipeline vandals, and secessionist militants. They do so while separated from their families for months on end, sleeping in austere conditions, and facing enemies often better armed than themselves. The statistics document their success, but what human cost was achieved, and what institutional commitment sustained it for their well-being?
Instructively, between 2023 and 2025, state governments allocated a combined N525.23 billion for security votes and related operations, according to BudgIT's analysis of approved budgets. This massive expenditure has coincided with continued deterioration in security across much of the country, suggesting that funds designated for security purposes are not necessarily reaching the personnel actually providing security.
The disconnect between the billions allocated for security and the poverty-level wages paid to those doing the actual fighting points to systemic corruption and misplaced priorities.
A government serious about defeating terrorism and insurgency would ensure that frontline troops receive compensation commensurate with the mortal risks they face daily.
Instead, Nigeria has created a system where political elites extract resources ostensibly meant for security while the men and women providing security struggle to survive on their salaries.
The comparison with African peers reveals Nigeria's failure to value its soldiers adequately. Ghanaian soldiers earn substantially more than their Nigerian counterparts despite Ghana facing far less severe security challenges.
South African military personnel receive compensation packages that reflect both the country's economic capacity and a genuine commitment to defence spending priorities. Nigeria's position as Africa's largest economy and most populous nation should translate into competitive military compensation instead; Nigerian soldiers earn wages that suggest their country views them as expendable.
The case for a special salary scale for frontline troops is overwhelming. Soldiers deployed to combat zones in Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, and other high-intensity operational theatres face substantially greater risks than personnel in administrative or training positions. They deserve hazard pay that reflects the probability they will be killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. This is not about creating privilege; it is about fundamental justice for personnel whose families must live with the knowledge that each deployment might be their last.
The implications of inadequate military compensation extend beyond individual hardship. Poorly paid soldiers become vulnerable to corruption, which undermines operational effectiveness and creates security risks.
The military has already witnessed cases of personnel collaborating with terrorists or disregarding criminal activity for financial gain. These incidents, while disgraceful, are predictable consequences of an institution that pays its personnel poverty wages while expecting them to maintain discipline and loyalty under fire.
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What Nigeria requires is not more commemorative events or rhetorical tributes but a fundamental restructuring of military compensation.
In the opinion of this newspaper, the salaries of non-commissioned officers must be reviewed immediately and brought to levels that reflect both the operational tempo they maintain and comparative regional standards. Frontline deployment must carry mandatory hazard pay calculated based on the intensity of the operational theatre.
The government's failure on this front is particularly galling given its willingness to find funds for less pressing priorities. Legislators' salaries and allowances remain among the highest in the world.
As Nigerians honour fallen heroes today, they must ask whether the nation is creating conditions that unnecessarily expand the ranks of those who will require remembrance in future years.
Inadequate equipment, poor compensation, and institutional neglect all contribute to preventable military casualties. A soldier forced to face Boko Haram or bandits with inadequate ammunition or outdated weaponry because funds were diverted elsewhere is a soldier whose death becomes a national responsibility.
