Ndume commends Tinubu over military salary increase, seeks direct funding for Armed Forces

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

Borno south senator, Ali Ndume, has applauded President Bola Tinubu for approving a major salary review for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, saying the decision will boost the morale of troops engaged in the fight against terrorism and banditry.

Ndume, who previously chaired the Senate Committee on Army, said the salary increase was a significant step towards improving the welfare of military personnel, but stressed that better pay must be matched with adequate weapons, equipment and logistics.

The President recently approved upward review of salaries ranging from 30 to 80 per cent for about 250,000 Armed Forces personnel, with the new rates expected to take effect next month.
Ndume commends Tinubu over military salary increase, seeks direct funding for Armed Forces. The adjustment raises the annual salary bill of the Armed Forces from N660 billion to N924 billion.

Reacting to the development, Ndume described the salary review as timely, particularly coming on the heels of the expansion of the country’s military divisions from eight to 12.

The former Senate leader said the two measures indicated that the administration was taking deliberate steps to strengthen the Armed Forces and improve their capacity to tackle insecurity.

“This coming after his recent expansion of military divisions from eight to twelve shows that Mr. President has his own blueprint aimed at dealing with the scourge of terrorism and banditry,” Ndume said.

“President Tinubu has again proved that he is a responsive leader who doesn’t shut his mind to genuine and legitimate agitation of Nigerians,” he said.

Beyond the salary increase, however, Ndume reiterated his call on the Federal Government to prioritise the timely provision of arms, ammunition and other operational requirements of the Armed Forces.

According to him, the military cannot effectively confront insurgents and other security threats without the necessary weapons, training, logistics and modern technology.

“I also want to urge Mr. President to keep up his pledge on the provision of weapons and technological tools required by the Armed Forces to effectively discharge their duties,” he said.

He also renewed his advocacy for the Armed Forces to be placed on First Line Charge, arguing that the current budgetary arrangement creates bureaucratic bottlenecks that affect military operations.

Ndume said funding for the military should not be subjected to delays arising from the budgetary processes of the Ministries of Defence and Finance, particularly given the operational demands confronting troops in the field.

“All these can be achieved seamlessly if we put their annual budget on First Line Charge. This envelope budgeting is trapped in unnecessary bureaucracy between the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Finance. It is a big encumbrance to effective operations of our men and officers in the war theatre,” he said.

He therefore urged Tinubu to initiate a funding arrangement that would allow direct statutory transfers from the Federation Account to the Armed Forces.

“Mr. President should seize the initiative to ensure direct statutory transfer from the Federation Account for the military as it is done with a few agencies of government,” Ndume added.