Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, a Nigerian ex-soldier, ignited outrage online after speaking out about the terrible reality he endured while serving, including specifics about his salary, working conditions, and deployment experiences.
During an appearance on The Honest Bunch Podcast with human rights campaigner Omoyele Sowore, he discussed how his pay was extremely low despite the risks involved in the profession.
“The last salary I collected as an ex-army officer before I was dismissed was ₦109,000. Before that, it was ₦51,000, plus a ₦20,000 SACRS allowance, making ₦71,000. It was just last year they increased it. The suffering was much. Aside from the salary, nothing more,” he said.
He also revealed that soldiers frequently have to provide their own equipment, such as clothes and boots, which incurs significant personal costs.
According to him, vital equipment such as armour and bulletproof vests are not regularly provided, save on rare occasions or high-profile visits to show off.
“They don’t give us uniforms; we buy them ourselves. Uniform is about ₦55,000, boots cost ₦60,000. Even armour and bulletproof vests, nobody will give you. If you see a soldier wearing it for free, it’s probably because there’s an occasion,” he added.
He also discussed his lengthy deployment to Maiduguri, saying that he spent over five years in the fighting zone despite initial promises of a shorter rotation term.
Olamilekan’s nightmare began last year, when he made and released a video imploring ministers, governors, legislators, and local government chairmen to send their kids to the war.
He was, however, arrested directly from his duty position in the North-East, where he had been stationed for several years, and later removed from service.
Watch the video below: