Nigerian Army Personnel In North-East Lament Non-Payment Of Operational Allowances ‘For Many Months’
Image
June 15, 2023
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that the officers had not been paid for many months.
The Nigerian Army has begun the payment of operational allowances to personnel fighting Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
SaharaReporters on Wednesday reported that the officers had not been paid for many months.
According to some of the soldiers, attempts to complain had been met with threats by the army authorities.
“There is a serious issue going on in the army, we, soldiers in the Northeast fighting Boko Haram are lamenting the delay in payment of operational allowance and other allowances without proper reason; no signal or an address by the various commanders to explain to the soldiers why we are not being paid.
“Formerly, they pay us on the 5th or 6th of every month but we haven’t been paid for many months now. The morale of the troops is very low in the front line and will affect our operation; this is a very serious issue on the ground now,” a soldier had told SaharaReporters.
“We have families and children, some in the university, and we need these little things to assist ourselves. We have been complaining, we want to go on protest. But we are afraid because if we protest, it will be easy for them to trace us,” another soldier had corroborated.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Thursday morning, one of the aggrieved soldiers confirmed the payment of the allowance.
“May Almighty Allah bless SaharaReporters and all its staff. Hours after SaharaReporters’ publication over non-payment of our operational allowances, we have started getting alerts of N45,000.00 each. Our colleagues in army headquarters said the Generals described the publication as ‘embarrassing’, so they ordered immediate payment.
“We sincerely appreciate how SaharaReporters has been speaking for the common man and we soldiers who have no power over our rights; thank you very much. Almost all soldiers in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have started seeing theirs too. Thank you very much SaharaReporters.”
Another soldier added, “Our corrupt Generals kept this money in banks to yield interest for them before but the fear of the news made them start paying us from last night.
“I personally received my ops allowance around 2145hrs. If not for SaharaReporters, it's only God that knows when they would have paid us.”