ABUJA — A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi, has challenged the Nigerian Army to make its payroll public as controversy continues over his claims about soldiers’ welfare and remuneration.
Olamilekan, a former lance corporal, made the call in a video released on Tuesday, hours after the Army dismissed his earlier allegations as false and misleading. In the video, he displayed bank transaction alerts which he said showed his earnings while in service.
According to him, his monthly salary was N112,061.59, alongside a N20,000 “grumbling allowance.” He also said soldiers deployed to operational theatres such as Maiduguri received an additional N45,000 operational allowance and a N6,000 security allowance, stressing that these were not paid to personnel who were not on active deployment.
He further alleged that some soldiers purchased their own protective equipment, including helmets and fragmentation jackets, though he maintained that his intention was not to discredit the Army but to present what he described as verifiable facts. He urged Nigerians to confirm his claims through relatives serving in the military.
The authenticity of the bank alerts presented by Olamilekan could not be independently verified.
Earlier, the Nigerian Army, in a statement by its Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anaele, described the allegations in his previous viral video as baseless. The Army maintained that uniforms, kits, arms and protective gear are issued to all personnel through established logistics systems and that no soldier is deployed without adequate protection.
On remuneration, the Army said its personnel receive consolidated monthly salaries alongside uniform allowances, operational allowances and other mission-specific entitlements paid directly into their accounts.
The Army also clarified that Olamilekan’s dismissal followed repeated acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy and unauthorised media engagements, and was unrelated to the content of his videos.
