The Nigerian Army is a powerful force that is coordinated and armed to fight and defend the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The role of the Nigerian Army is stated in sections 217 to 220 of the 1999 Constitution, Whereas, rank is a position in an organization to show the level of authority for easy management of a group. Rank in the armed forces indicates the status or position of military personnel. The top rank in the Nigerian Army is Field Marshal.
For those of you that wish to join the Army, you must know the ranks that are available in the Nigerian Army to prepare yourself for that role in the future. While for others who are curious about the Nigerian army salary by rank, today, your curiosity will be satisfied. This post will discuss the training opportunities for the Nigerian military force, the structure of the Nigerian military force and types of officers ranks in the Nigerian Army and their Salary. Let us begin right now.
Training Opportunities for the Nigerian Military Force
You know that for any job you do, to develop expert skills, you must have more training to receive adequate salary and promotions, and the Army is no exception.
The Nigerian Army has three main training facilities in the country for Nigerian soldiers. They are the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, the Nigeria Defense Academy, Kaduna, and the National Defense College at Abuja.
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The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji
This school is a training facility for members of the armed forces such as the Navy, Airforce, and Army. It is in Jaji Kaduna state. They started this school in 1976. Its curriculum is from the British Army.
The school trains Majors, Captains, and Non-Commissioned officers and their counterparts in the Airforce and Navy.
The Nigerian Defense Academy
The Nigerian Defense Academy was started in Kaduna in 1964 to train cadet officers of the Nigerian armed forces, including the Navy and Airforce.
In 1985, the school started offering undergraduate programs, and currently awards M.S.C and P.H.D to military and civilian students. During the five years course, the cadets will be trained as combatants, to make them disciplined soldiers, and they will graduate with a bachelor’s degree and be commissioned as 2nd lieutenants.
The National Defense College (NDC)
The NDC is the last school for the military force that we are examining in this article to discover the Nigerian army salary by rank. The National Defense College started in 1992 at Abuja with a mission to develop more competence in excellent senior military officers and civilian professionals. It is the top military training establishment for Nigerian Armed Forces.
The curriculum contains subjects of the nature of war, leadership, politics, ethics, peace, and the use of force. The course is for eleven months, divided into three terms with training run in nine blocks.
The National Defense College is the place where officers and select civilian professionals receive the highest level of military training to enable them to make decisions in the democratic system of government.
The school is also a center of excellence for strategic training of peacekeeping operations personnel in West Africa.
Structure of the Military Force in Nigeria
The military forces in Nigeria include the Nigeria Navy, Airforce, and the Nigeria Army. Below is a brief of each of them.
The Nigerian Navy was founded by the Navy Act of 1964. The Navy has nine branches at the Naval headquarter Abuja, with five commands that they subdivided into three operational commands headquarters in Calabar, Apapa, and Yenagoa.
Its role includes:
- policing the sea to secure Nigeria by Sea
- collaborating with the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, and other vital maritime security agencies to protect the country.
Some other roles of the Navy comprise:
- administering all Customs and Immigration, pollution, and bunkering laws
- carrying out training and rescue operations at sea
- ensuring the preservation of fishery
- enforcing international maritime laws and protecting its forces from aggression.
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The Air Force
Act of Parliament in April 1964 brought the Nigerian Airforce into being. The Nigerian Air Force Headquarters has nine staff branches that plan policies. According to Wikipedia, Nigeria Air Force has active personnel of 10,000 officers.
Some of its primary purposes include:
- providing a full military cover of Nigeria – air and land
- giving swift useful mobility to the armed forces
- protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria and its forces on land and sea
- giving Nigeria prestige in the comity of nations.
The Nigerian Army
Before we find out the Nigerian army salary by rank, let us trace the history of the Nigerian Army.
According to the article titled “Brief History of the Nigerian Army,” on the Nigeria Army Defense Headquarters’ website, you can track the formation of the Nigerian Army to 1863, but it was officially named Nigerian Army after independence in 1960.
Some of its roles include:
- defending the nation from external aggression
- securing the nation’s borders – land, sea, or air from any intruders
- protecting the territorial integrity of the country
- The Army, upon the request of the president in line with an act of National assembly, must help civil authorities to quell any uprising and restore order.
They divided the Nigerian Army into the 1st Division, the 2nd Division, the 3rd Armored Division, 81st Division, and 82nd Division, for easy management of the personnel. Others include the 6th, 7th, and 8th, Divisions.
The Army is the most significant military force in Nigeria. According to Sahara reporters as of May 2018, the Army had only 124,000 active personnel and 57,000 reserve Soldiers. The Nigerian Army is well equipped compared to the Army of many African Nations.
Types of Officers in the Nigeria Army
At this point, we are close to unveiling the Nigerian army salary by rank.
In the Nigerian Army, they divided the personnel into Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers, with different ranks and benefits of office. Also, to become a commissioned officer, you must graduate from the Nigerian Defense Academy.
Non-Commissioned officers
These are personnel who are yet to receive a commission or official document that elevates them to a commissioned rank.
You have eight levels of non-commissioned officers rank in the Nigerian Army and they include:
- Master Warrant Officer
- Warrant Officer
- Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Private
- Recruit
Commissioned Officers
The commissioned officers are those who have earned a commission. In the Nigerian Army you have eleven ranks of commissioned officers.
However, there is no record of a Nigerian Officer with the rank of a field marshal in the Nigerian Army. So, there is no information about the salary of that position.
The ranks of commissioned officers include:
- Field Marshal.
- General.
- Lieutenant General.
- Major General.
- Brigadier General.
- Colonel.
- Lieutenant Colonel.
- Major.
- Captain.
- First Lieutenant.
- Second Lieutenant.
Nigerian Army salary by ranks
Here are the Salary of the Nigerian Army by ranks:
| Rank | Salary |
|---|---|
| Field Marshal (5 stars) | Nil |
| General (4 stars) | ₦1.500,000.00 |
| Lieutenant General (3 stars) | ₦1.000,000.00 |
| Major General (2 stars) | ₦950,000 |
| Brigadier General (1 star) | ₦750,000 |
| Colonel | ₦550,000 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | ₦350,000 |
| Major | ₦300,000 |
| Captain | ₦220,000 |
| Lieutenant | ₦180,000 |
| Second Lieutenant | ₦120,000 |
| Master Warrant Officer | ₦90,000.00 |
| Warrant Officer | ₦80,000 |
| Staff Sergeant | ₦68,000 |
| Sergeant | ₦63,000 |
| Corporal | ₦58,000 |
| Lance Corporal | ₦55,000 |
| Private | ₦49,000 |
| Recruit | Not Available |
Conclusion
This post gave you information about the Nigerian army salary by ranks. You learned about the training opportunities for the military force, the structure of the military force, and the category of ranks available in the Army and the salary attached to each position.
If the salary has been a hindrance to joining the Army, it is not anymore. You have the assurance of an excellent salary and an enduring and worthy institution. Submit your application to join the Army now and build your career.
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