Senate to consider motion increasing Armed Forces pay

By John Alechenu, Abuja

Barring immoderate last-minute change, the Senate volition connected Wednesday see a question seeking an upward reappraisal of the wage bundle arsenic good arsenic conditions of information personnel.

The question titled: “Urgent Need to Increase the Minimum Wage and Improve Conditions of Service for Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies”, is being sponsored by Sen. Ali Ndume (Borno South).

In a preview transcript of the question sighted by Vanguard, successful Abuja, Ndume is asking his colleagues to see the information that Section 217(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), gives the information services particularly the Armed Forces, the work of defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

He further asked the Senate to enactment that the Consolidated Salary Structures for uniformed services (e.g., CONAFSS for the Armed Forces and analogous structures crossed MDAs), arsenic good arsenic hazard/operational allowances, radical beingness security and pension provisions are intended to bespeak the risks and burdens of service.

Ndume nevertheless observed that the existent remuneration and minimum entry-level wage for galore unit crossed these services person been outpaced by rising surviving costs.

He besides drew attraction to reports of overstretch, attrition and fiscal hardship among inferior and mid-level ranks; the expanding outgo of indispensable goods, transportation, accommodation and schooling; and the load connected families of deployed personnel.

The erstwhile Chairman of the Senate Committee connected Army said, “The existent minimum monthly wage for inferior unit successful the Armed Forces ranges betwixt ₦50,000 and ₦60,000, depending connected rank, which is grossly inadequate successful airy of the existent economical realities, inflationary pressures, and rising outgo of surviving successful Nigeria.”

This, helium said, pales into insignificance erstwhile compared to different African nations.

He said, “Ghana, the entry-level wage for a backstage worker is equivalent to astir ₦180,000 per month; successful South Africa, the basal wage for enlisted unit starts astatine astir ₦250,000 monthly (converted); successful Egypt, inferior enlisted officers gain the equivalent of ₦230,000–₦280,000 monthly; and successful Kenya, a backstage earns astir ₦200,000, excluding operational allowances.”

Ndume arsenic expressed interest that the existent wage level does not bespeak the magnitude of sacrifices made by Nigerian troops and has the imaginable to further dampen morale.

He prayed the Senate to impulse the Federal Government to enactment with its applicable agencies to “review and substantially summation the minimum wage and wide wage operation of the Nigerian Armed Forces successful enactment with existent economical realities;

“Mandate the Committees connected Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force to liaise with the applicable ministries and agencies to find realistic remuneration benchmarks for antithetic ranks, taking into relationship comparative planetary standards;

“And besides instrumentality periodic reviews of Armed Forces wages each 3 years to support parity with ostentation and planetary benchmarks,” said Ndume.

The station Senate to see question expanding Armed Forces pay appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.