Salary Increase Alone Cannot Defeat Terrorism – APC Chieftain

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, Osita Okechukwu, has urged the Federal Government to combine improved military salaries with modern technology to tackle terrorism, banditry and insurgency.

Okechukwu welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s approval of salary increases for Armed Forces personnel but said better pay and the expansion of the Nigerian Army would not, on their own, guarantee victory against security threats.

“Like millions of Nigerians, I wholeheartedly applaud Mr. President for improving the welfare of our gallant Armed Forces, who daily risk their lives in defence of our nation,” Okechukwu said.

Tinubu recently approved an 80% salary increase for personnel from private to staff sergeant, 50% for warrant officers to colonels and 30% for brigadiers to generals.

The president also approved the creation of four additional Army divisions, expanding the force from eight to 12 divisions.

Okechukwu, however, raised concerns about the cost of sustaining the salary increases amid Nigeria’s fiscal pressures.

“Patriotism compels one to ask a fundamental question: How will our administration, in an era of lean fiscal resources and under budget implementation, sustain such a significant increase in recurrent expenditure while adequately funding critical sectors such as healthcare, education and infrastructure without triggering hyper-inflation?” he asked.

He also called for greater investment in military technology, intelligence and surveillance.

“Today’s battlefields are dominated by drones, satellite surveillance, electronic warfare, cyber operations, precision-guided weapons, artificial intelligence and real-time intelligence,” he said.

Okechukwu said Nigeria must adapt to modern warfare, arguing that “victory no longer belongs to the side with the largest number of boots on the ground, but to the side with superiority of AI-driven intelligence capabilities.”

He urged the Tinubu administration to combine better welfare with investment in equipment, intelligence, logistics and modern weapons systems.