Military veterans in Abuja are calling for the Federal Government to implement the ₦250,000 minimum wage for serving soldiers that President Bola Tinubu approved in November 2025. Multiple outlets report that more than 70 veterans met with representatives of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, at the Armed Forces Headquarters Command Mess 1 in Abuja. The CDS was said to be unavailable because he was attending a meeting at the Presidential Villa, and five senior officers represented him.
The veterans accuse the government of delaying the execution of the wage measure passed by the National Assembly in October 2025 and assented to by Tinubu the following month. They say the bill provides for three months’ arrears and argue that Nigeria’s military pay scale is among the lowest in Africa. Veterans also reject claims by serving authorities that the adjustment amounts only to an increase to ₦100,000 under the 2024 national minimum wage review, describing this as separate from the dedicated military salary review.
According to the reports, the military representatives acknowledged the veterans’ submissions and promised to brief the CDS within about a week. The veterans also warn of a planned peaceful protest at the Ministry of Finance if the wage structure is not implemented promptly.
