Nigerian soldiers in the North-East allege commanders divert meal funds, leaving them with poor rations despite a government-approved allowance of N90,000 monthly per soldier.
Soldiers deployed to the North-East to combat Boko Haram have raised concerns over poor feeding conditions, alleging that Army commanders divert part of their meal allowances.
Credible sources said that the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu recently increased the troops’ monthly feeding allowance from N45,000 to N90,000 per soldier, which equates to about N1,000 per meal.
However, the money is not paid directly to soldiers’ accounts but sent to commanders, who reportedly provide substandard rations.
One soldier from the 27 Task Force Brigade in Yobe State said: “The government is giving us N1,000 as a feeding allowance per meal. Majority of the soldiers cannot even eat this food because there is no nutrient. Yet they expect us to fight Boko Haram.”
Another soldier added: “What good food do you think N1,000 can buy in this present Nigeria? Even almajiris spend more than that daily.”