Nigerian soldiers deployed to the country’s volatile North‑East to combat Boko Haram say they are being paid only a fraction of a welfare allowance officially approved by the federal government, accusing military authorities of shortchanging troops and harming morale on the front lines.
In an exclusive report published on September 26, 2025, SaharaReporters said multiple soldiers told the outlet that the Scarce Skills Allowance, approved at N100,000 per month under a 2017 government directive, is being disbursed at rates of between N20,000 and N30,000 depending on rank. The reporting quotes one soldier saying the Nigerian Air Force recently raised payments to N50,000 for its personnel but that many Army units remain at the lower levels.
The allowance forms part of a package authorised in November 2017 under the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces (MAFA). That document, which SaharaReporters says it has reviewed, specifies the higher payment but soldiers interviewed for the story claim the policy has not been implemented in practice and that repeated complaints over several years have gone unanswered.
Veterans of earlier complaints told SaharaReporters the shortfalls began under the tenure of former Army chief Lt.‑Gen. Tukur Buratai and have continued despite fresh appeals to lawmakers and anti‑corruption bodies. Troops described frustration that, while they face daily risks fighting insurgents and bandits, deductions and alleged diversion of benefits by senior officers have left many struggling to support families.
The soldiers interviewed urged the National Assembly’s military oversight committees, as well as anti‑graft agencies, to probe the alleged diversion and underpayment of allowances. They warned that continued denial of approved benefits could undermine morale and the effectiveness of operations against Boko Haram and other violent groups in the region.
The Nigerian Army did not immediately issue a response to SaharaReporters’ account in the published piece. Past investigations and reporting have highlighted similar complaints from rank‑and‑file personnel about welfare schemes and deductions, including controversies over a welfare housing scheme that resulted in large salary deductions from serving soldiers.
The allegations are likely to increase pressure on defence and finance officials to explain discrepancies between policy documents and actual payments, and to provide transparency on how allowances authorised for deployed troops are calculated and distributed. With troops pressing for answers, lawmakers and oversight bodies may face renewed calls to investigate and to ensure that frontline personnel receive the full entitlements set by government policy.