Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
More than 70 retired military officers on Monday, 13 July 2026, demanded the immediate implementation of the approved N250,000 minimum wage for serving military personnel, accusing the Federal Government of deliberately delaying the execution of a law they said had been passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu. The demand was made during a high-stakes retreat at the Armed Forces Headquarters Command Mess 1 in Abuja, where the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, was conspicuously absent, represented instead by five senior military officers.
Colonel Innocent Azubike (retd.), one of the lead organisers, told journalists that the veterans submitted documentary evidence to the military representatives, who acknowledged the facts and promised to brief the CDS immediately upon his return from the Presidential Villa. "The five generals that represented the CDS collected the papers presented by veterans and accepted that what the veterans said were facts. They said they would submit their report to the CDS immediately he comes back from the State House," Azubike said. The veterans expressed cautious optimism, stating they would give the Defence Chief about one week to respond.
According to the veterans, the National Assembly in October 2025 passed a bill to review military salaries after a comparative assessment showed that Nigeria's military pay was "ridiculously the lowest" among several African countries. The Senate fixed N250,000 as the minimum pay for the least-paid soldier and directed that the required funds be included in the 2026 budget. President Tinubu assented to the bill in November 2025 and approved three months' arrears from the date of signing, a development that was publicly announced and widely reported.
However, the retired officers alleged that military authorities had recently made a "U-turn" and began denying knowledge of the approved salary increase. "Then suddenly, in July 2026, the CDS and the Ministry of Defence made a U-turn and started posturing as if there was no such pay increment and asking us to produce documents to that effect," Azubike said. The veterans took particular issue with a recent statement by the Minister of Defence, who claimed that the President had increased the military minimum wage from N49,000 to N100,000. Azubike described the statement as "incorrect" and clarified that the N100,000 salary came into effect following the 2024 national minimum wage adjustment and was unrelated to the military salary review approved in November 2025.
The veterans warned that they remained committed to a planned peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance to demand the release of funds for the implementation of the new salary structure. "We are convinced that once we protest, the President will hear directly about the matter and the money will be released by fiat," Azubike stated. The veterans' demand has reignited public debate over the welfare of Nigeria's armed forces, with many calling on the government to honour its commitments to the military. As the one-week ultimatum draws closer, all eyes are on the Federal Government to see whether it will implement the approved salary increase or face the prospect of a protest by the nation's retired military officers.
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