The soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters on Tuesday alleged that instead of following due processes, the promotion was lopsided and based on tribal, religious and monetary sentiments, which they termed as “cash and carry”.
Some Nigerian soldiers have decried high level of injustice in the promotion exercise carried out by the Army headquarters recently.
The soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters on Tuesday alleged that instead of following due processes, the promotion was lopsided and based on tribal, religious and monetary sentiments, which they termed as “cash and carry”.
They added that the names of some soldiers appeared twice in the promotion list, most especially those promoted from Lance Corporal to Corporal.
“I’m a soldier, the Nigeria Army promotion is out now but a lot of us that are due for the promotion did not get it,” one of the aggrieved soldiers told SaharaReporters.
“Imagine, if there are 50 soldiers that are due for promotion in a unit, they would pick only 25 or 30, at end, instead of being in a rank for 4 or 5 years, you will be there 7 or 8 years before you can be promoted, but it’s not like that in the Navy and Air Force.
“Over there, if you are due for promotion, all of you will be promoted unless you have a disciplinary action against you and all your course mate will be promoted.
“Please help us, no promotion, no money, no peace of mind, all in the Army. The Nigeria Army is one of the problems of this country.”
Another soldier deployed to Operation Hadarin-Daji in Katsina and Zamfara states also lamented the failure of the Army authorities to rotate them to other areas over their refusal to give bribes.
“Before we were deployed to fight terrorists, we were told that we would spend three months but we have been here for two years without rotation. We didn't complain for the past promotion that was just released, they didn't promote us while our colleagues in the barracks and our juniors were all promoted just because they paid money,” he said.
“Why I’m confused is because I don't know if the Nigerian Army is one man's business or a national army. We have been in this operation for roughly two years, no kit. We're still buying uniforms to serve this so-called Nigeria, we have complained so many times but the President refused to intervene.
“Our Generals only care for themselves; when it comes to promotion, they will promote our colleagues and juniors in the barracks enjoying with their families but we in the frontline, fighting terrorists are promoted.
“They're busy feeding on our treasury. If any soldier ever stands to correct their wrongdoings, they will handcuff the soldier and charge him for mutiny.
“Honestly, many soldiers have written to be given voluntary discharge but they (the authorities) refused to allow them to go and face the reality of life because the Army of a country that is supposed to be national is now someone's business. They decide whatever they want to do to the junior soldiers.
“Normally, the operational allowance is N75,000 but they will deduct N30,000 for our feeding. In a location of about 40 soldiers, multiply that by 40, you will get a million and two hundred thousand naira. But lo and behold, the amount of money they would be spend on feeding us would not be up to N200,000. That’s why you see the senior officers lobbying to be posted as commanders of those in the frontline.
“Most of us are looking for opportunities to make it and leave this job. The question is what is our offence that we are not promoted? Does it mean that they don't have our details?”
Meanwhile, one of the aggrieved soldiers has written to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor and Chief of Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya.
According to him, he and many of his colleagues were denied the right to be promoted while those promoted were not qualified.
“PLEASE HEAL OUR PAINS. I WISH TO WRITE THIS LETTER AS A NOTIFICATION OF OUR SADNESS AND UNHAPPY ABOUT THE NA PROMOTION POLICIES,” the letter read.
“SIR, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS DISTURBING ALMOST 60% OF THE JUNIOR RANK ACROSS THE UNIT/FORMATIONS IN THE COUNTRY. SIR, THE POLICIES STATED THAT WHEN YOU ARE 5YEARS IN SERVICE WITH COURSE QUALIFICATIONS WITHOUT ANY OFFENCE OR CHARGED THEN, YOU ARE IN TITTLE TO THE RANK, IF YOU ARE A PRIVATE SOLDIER, JUST AS ANY RANK HAS HIS REQUEAMENT (sic). BUT THE ARMY IS DEMORIZE (sic) US, BY NOT DOING SO, INSTEAD THEY CONTINUE WITH THE OLD WAY OF SENDING VACANCIES, FOR INSTANCE; IN A UNIT WHERE 11 SOLDIERS QUALIFIED WITH ALL REQUEAMENT, INSTEAD OF THE NA TO PROMOTE THEM (11) SOLDIERS ALL, BUT NA WILL SEND VACANCIES OF ONLY 5 SOLDIERS.
“THE REMAINING 6 SOLDIERS WILL BE EMOTIONALLY AFFECTED AND ONLY GOD KNOW (sic) THE PAIN THAT WILL COURSE TO THERE HEARTS. SOLDIERS WHOS (sic) PAY MONEY, OR THEY WILL FAVOR THERE (sic) BROTHERS. INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING SENIORITY AND QUALIFICATIONS. BECAUSE OF CORRUPTION SOME NAME APPEAR DOUBLE IN THE PROMOTION LIST, THAT IS ANOTHER SIGN OF CORRUPTION IN THE ARMY CLERKS AND CHIEF CLERKS.
“THIS PRACTICES IS CAPABLE OF MAKING SOLDIERS DO MANY UNWANTED THINGS; NO MORAL (sic) TO FIGHT, PLANING AGAINST THE SUCCESS OF THE ARMY IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHERS. E.T.C.
“I WANT TO BEG ON BEHALF OF ALL THE ORDER RANKS OF THE NA. IN THE NAME OF GOD TO PLEASE LOOK INTO OUR CRYING BY DO THE NEEDFUL. AND BALANCE THE PROMOTION. GEN. DANBAZAU DID IN SOME YEARS BACK. AND I KNOW YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THIS HAPPENING.
“SIR, GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU LOOK IN TO OUR REQUEST AND REVISED THE POLICIES OR PROMOTE THOSE THAT DESERVE THE PROMOTION. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU, NIGERIAN ARMY, NIGERIAN DEFENCE 
.”
DOCUMENT;EXCLUSIVE_ Nigerian Soldiers Lament Injustice in Promotion Exercise, Write Chief of Defence Staff,... by Sahara Reporters on Scribd