Military officers standing at tension during the morning briefing.
Members of the Nigerian military force have expressed dissatisfaction with the president over non-payment of salary for the month of December. The soldiers said this will result in them not being able to cater for their families during the Christmas and the upcoming new year. (3) (Soldiers non-payment of salaries)
The national guards intimated that president Bola Tinubu and his chiefs of the military are seeming “unconcerned and unimaginative about their welfare”.
Soldiers are now beginning to find ways to survive since they can’t get their salaries, as some of them even have to angle civilians for money to help sort out the needs of their families and personal daily financial cares.
Usually, or, it’s a common reason we have many soldiers on the highway looking for backhanders from the civilian drivers, unnecessary harassments and illegal stop and search which was originally the job of the police.
Because they “can’t afford to buy clothes” and their “families are not happy” military officers tend to get involved in some odd jobs.
Soldiers non-payment of salaries“The Christmas and New Year celebrations are bleak for all of us. I cannot even afford to get clothes for my children,” one of the roadside soldiers complained.
“Imagine, we Nigerian soldiers are set to celebrate Christmas and New Year without receiving salaries. Our families are not happy with us thinking we don’t want to do our responsibilities, not knowing that the federal government didn’t pay us as of December 23rd,” another soldier said, who also revealed that his wife was pregnant.
The soldiers’ disappointment with the government lies in the fact that they were not told about the reason for non-payment of December salaries, while most of them are heavily behind on bills, according to Adedune.
“Our morale with that of our families is totally down; we don’t even know the reasons behind this action. Since I was enlisted in the Nigerian Army over 27 years ago, this is the first time I would be celebrating Christmas without a salary,” he said.
Soldiers non-payment of salaries
“This is an unfortunate development and there is no palliative as well from the Chief of the Army Staff or any NGO to make us happy. Honestly, this is very disturbing and alarming. Some soldiers were forced to sell their items to buy clothes for their children and relatives. This simply shows that there is no more hope for the common man.”
What is the Nigerian military officers’ Work-life experience like?
Issues of an effectively balanced work life experience for the Nigerian military officers have remained a great concern over the past decades. This has raised many debates among scholars and practitioners with the sole objective to improve and find a preferable work life balance for them.
The military job is a highly demanding one. It’s often difficult for one to separate their personal life from work, as the soldiers will daily have to be active, prepared and present to act in any situation requiring their attention.
“A balanced lifestyle makes sense to most people, but in actuality, balance is an inaccurate and
unhealthy paradigm for thinking about and understanding how professional military lives intersect with personal lives, ”according to Dupre and Day,
Soldiers non-payment of salariesTherefore, because of the importance of their duty and the role they play in maintaining national security there is a huge difference between a normal work life experience for a civil servant and a military civil servant.
Soldiers non-payment of salaries
With this reason being that one “can afford to physically absent themselves yet get the work done”, while a military officer’s physical presence” is more highly necessary than it’s required of the other.
Soldiers non-payment of salaries
“After all we go through every day, no sleep or rest, we still can’t get our salaries, especially this season that we at least can visit our families and for most of us it’s the first time in six or seven months,” Adamu, one of the soldiers in Imo state told one of our reporters.
“My youngest daughter called today, and said ‘dad it’s Christmas, I hope you have not forgotten us at home. Honestly, I was touched because I had promised her last month that once I get my December salary I would get her some Christmas gifts. But now it doesn’t even look like any of the ‘Ogas’ at the top care to know what we want. Maybe, it’s because they don’t know how much we need those little salaries they pay us monthly.”
“But do you think that your superiors are deliberately delaying your salaries so as to gain bigger interests on the actual money from a fixed deposit account that they maintain with the bank?” the reporter asked Adamu.
“No, actually, you know as a soldier I can’t say that even if it’s possible like many people believe. I’ll just say they are just comfortable with their own families at home enjoying Christmas or have literally forgotten us. Yes, that’s all I can say.”
“Okay thank you Mr. Adamu,” she told the soldier.
In another interview with some of the soldiers, it was revealed to us that they had made several efforts to get in touch with the Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, but no response was given to them as his phone calls were not answered and he never replied to their text messages.
A sergeant involved in one of the military operations in Northeast, according to Sahara Reporters, said, “You need to see how we were patiently waiting for the salaries on Friday but the army authorities disappointed us without proper reason for that.”
Soldiers non-payment of salaries
The sergeant also lamented that their “Generals are corrupt” and they are not “helping matters at all” as they are believed to be ones who have to be concerned about their boys. He thought this was the reason they did not get what they deserve from the government because “all the personnel in the army” as he claimed had been paid their December salaries.
“We are begging the Nigerian government directly because our Generals are corrupt and can’t speak for us. They are not helping matters at all.
“The barracks are dry and there are no salaries to celebrate Christmas and New Year festivals. All the personnel of the Nigerian Army, have been paid December salary. We soldiers are suffering beyond what you think with the present economic challenge.”
Soldiers non-payment of salaries
