A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi (with the service number 18NA/77/1009 LCPL), serving with the 81 Division Task Force Battalion in Borno State, has alleged that personnel of the Nigerian Army purchase their uniforms and protective gear with personal funds despite earning modest salaries.
The former lance corporal, Olamilekan, a military content creator known for his humorous videos, made the claims in a yet-to-be-released interview on the Honest Brunch Podcast alongside human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.
Speaking during the interview, he disclosed details of his earnings while in service, noting that his salary was recently increased.
“As a soldier, like presently now (Before he was dismissed in March), them dey pay me, the last salary wey I collect for army N109,000 or N111,000. But before that, it was just last year, February, that they increase the salary. Before now, N51,000,” he said.
He added that allowances brought the total to about N70,000 before the increment, but described survival on such income as extremely difficult.
“And how were you surviving on 71,000 Naira? The suffer, suffer no be small. Apart from the salary, nothing more. Nothing dey enter for you as a soldier,” he said.
Olamilekan further alleged that soldiers are responsible for purchasing their own uniforms, which he said are costly.
When Sowore asked, “What about uniform? Did they give you uniform?, Soja Boi replied, “No, they don’t give uniform now, soldier. Ask any soldier. They buy them,” he said.
Providing cost estimates, he noted that uniforms and boots often exceed a soldier’s monthly salary.
“The uniform is about N55,000. Yes. Now you go buy uniform, now you go buy boots, now you go buy anything you want to use. The boots, sometimes N60,000 for one pair of boots,” he said.
He also claimed that essential protective gear, such as bulletproof vests and helmets, is not provided, except in rare situations.
Sowore also asked,”What about armour bullet proof, helmet… all those ones, they don’t give you. So you buy it yourself?”
He replied,” I swear, nobody will give you. ” he said.
According to him, such equipment is only made available during special visits by high-ranking officials.
“If you see say maybe soldier wear that thing, maybe say they get one kind, or this big visitor, maybe governor, they want to go on occasion… they just go pack one and come,” he said.
He added that soldiers often operate in high-risk environments like Sambisa without adequate protection.
” Nobody will give you now if you no buy am… If anything they happen, now una he go first meet without bulletproof. Who won give you now?” he said.
Olamilekan also recounted his deployment experience in Maiduguri, stating that he spent over four years in the conflict zone despite standard rotation timelines.
“So that Maiduguri, I don spend about four years, nine months now, and they tell us, yes, now two years before they will rotate you. Me, I don do double, I don do the third,” he said.
(Punch)
