Highest Paid Forces in Nigeria & their Salaries (2024)

If you’re looking to join the Nigerian Army, Navy or Airforce and you’re wondering which is one of them is the highest paid force, then you’re on the right page.

In this post, we will provide you with the necessary information on the monthly salaries of the different branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Here you can check ballistic helmet for sale which are used by most of army men.

Highest Paid Forces in Nigeria

highest paid forces in nigeria

1. The Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army is the largest among the armed forces. The major formations include the 1st Division, the 2nd Division, the 3rd Armoured Division, 81st Division, 82nd Division, and the newly formed 7th Division.

Below is a full list of the Nigerian Army Ranks and their monthly salary:

Ranks | Salary per month

  • Private Soldier | ₦49, 000
  • Lance Corporal | ₦55, 000
  • Corporal | ₦58, 000
  • Sergeant | ₦63, 000
  • Staff Sergeant | ₦68, 000
  • Warrant Officer | ₦80, 000
  • Master Warrant Officer | ₦90, 000
  • Second Lieutenant | ₦120,000
  • Lieutenant | ₦180,000
  • Captain | ₦220,000
  • Major | ₦300,000
  • Lieutenant Colonel | ₦350,000
  • Colonel | ₦550,000
  • Brigadier General | ₦750,000
  • Major General | ₦950,000
  • Lieutenant General | ₦1,000,000
  • General | ₦1,500,000

2. The Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the sea branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The Nigerian Navy command structure today consists of the Naval Headquarters in Abuja, three operational commands with headquarters in Lagos, Calabar, and Bayelsa. Training command’s headquarters are located in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, but with training facilities spread all over Nigeria. There are five operational bases, five forward operational bases (with two more soon to come on stream), two dockyards located in Lagos and Port Harcourt and two fleets based in Lagos and Calabar.

Currently, there are twelve ranks under the commissioned officers and we’ve highlighted the ranks below and the salary per annum of some of these officials.

Rank | Salary per annum

  • Admiral | N16,303,140
  • Vice-Admiral | ₦13,363,229
  • Rear Admiral | ₦12,038,945
  • Commodore | ₦7,385,856
  • Captain | N3,715,859
  • Commander | ₦3,380,086

For ranks like Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant, Sub-Lieutenant, Acting Sub-Lieutenant and Mid-Shipman and the non-commissioned officers which include the Warrant Chief Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer, Petty Officer, Leading Rating, Able Rating, Ordinary Rating and Trainee, we don’t have any information on their salary structure.

3. The Nigerian Air Force

The Nigerian Air Force was established in January 1964. At that time, the force received technical assistance from West Germany and it started out as a transport unit with its crew being trained in Canada, Ethiopia and Pakistan.

NAF earned its combat capability when it received a number of MiG-17 aircraft from the Soviet Union in 1966.

In 2007 the Air Force had a strength of 10,000 officers. The force flies transport, trainer, helicopter, and fighter aircraft. It also sponsors the Air Force Military School, Jos, Nigeria.

Below is the information on the salary structure of the Nigerian Air Force from the lowest ranked officer, Trainee to the highest ranked officer.

Rank | Salary per month

  • Trainee | ₦10, 237
  • Aircraftman woman: ₦53, 892 per month
  • Lance Corporal: ₦55, 832 per month
  • Corporal: ₦58, 634 per month
  • Sergeant: ₦69, 261 per month
  • Flight Sergeant | ₦87, 119
  • Warrant Officer | ₦101, 974
  • Master Warrant Officer | ₦165, 697
  • Cadet (Trainee) | ₦44, 564
  • Air Warrant Officer | ₦171, 793
  • Pilot Officer | ₦187, 159
  • Flying Officer | ₦218, 400
  • Flight Lieutenant | ₦232, 484
  • Squadron Leader | ₦248, 004
  • Wing Comdr | ₦342, 586
  • Group Captain | ₦352, 631
  • Air Commodore | ₦677, 895
  • Air Vice-Marshal | ₦1,376,343
  • Air Marshal | ₦1,486,451
  • Air Chief Marshal | ₦1,724,283

Based on our survey, the annual salary of an Army General, Naval Admiral or Air-Chief Marshal in the Nigerian military is estimated at ₦1.72 million monthly.

On the other hand, for a fresh recruit or trainee, the annual salary is ₦122, 848 while the salary per annum of a Private, Ordinary Seaman or Aircrafts man/woman is ₦639, 990. Additionally, a Lance Corporal and Seaman goes home with an annual salary of ₦661,732.

The aforementioned salaries exclude allowances on special assignments, military operations, foreign missions, duty tours and estacode.

Based on the figures above, it is clear that there is a great disparity between the annual salary of a recruit and a private with the difference being about ₦500, 000. On the other hand, the difference between a Private and a Lance Corporal is just a little over ₦21, 000.

A corporal, able seaman and its equivalent in the Air Force take home ₦693, 426 annually, while a sergeant in the Army and Air Force, as well as a leading seaman in the Navy, goes home annually with ₦809,327 with a great gap of ₦115,000.00.

Also, a staff sergeant and its equivalent in the Navy and the Air Force have an annual salary of ₦1,019,226.00, while the warrant officers across the board earns an average of ₦1,192,499 annually.

The Master Warrant Officer in the three arms of the forces earn annual salaries of ₦1,962,697.00, while Army Warrant Officer, Navy Warrant Officer and the Air Force Warrant Officer earn ₦2,061,520, with a difference of about ₦98,000.

For cadet officers in training, these officers earn ₦534, 773 per annum. On the other hand, commissioned officers starting with second lieutenant in the army, Mid-shipman in the Navy and Pilot Officer in the Air Force receive an annual salary of ₦2,245,909, while the next senior rank of Lieutenant, Sub-lieutenant and Flying Officer has an annual salary of ₦2,620,801 with a disparity of ₦374,000.

For higher ranks like a Captain in the Army, Lieutenant in the Navy and Flight Lieutenant in the Air Force, the annual salary is estimated at ₦2, 789, 818, while Major, Lieutenant Commander and Wing Commander receive ₦2, 976, 052 annually.

For positions like the Lieutenant Colonel, Commander or Wing Commander, the annual salary is ₦3, 895, 033 which is higher than that of the Major by ₦918, 000

The annual salary of a Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel is estimated at ₦4, 231, 579 while a Brigadier General earns ₦8, 134, 745.

Other high-rank officers in the Army, Navy and Airforce like the Major General, Rear Admiral or Air Vice Marshal respectively. These officers earn an estimated ₦16,516,124.

Also, the Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral and Air Marshal earn an annual salary of ₦17,837,414, while Army General, Admiral of the Navy and Air Chief Marshal all have an annual salary of ₦20,691,400.

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