• Troops receive allowances in advance
From MOLLY KILETE. ABUJA
Indications have emerged that the Federal Government is set to increase the operational allowances for soldiers on Internal Security Operation (ISO) nation-wide.
The decision, Daily Sun gathered, was ratified by President Goodluck Jonathan after the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Kenneth Minimah, pleaded with the President on the need to increase the operational allowances of troops especially those serving in the North-East and North Central parts of the country.
Minimah said the gesture was to boost the morale of troops engaged in the fight against insurgency and other security challenges in some parts of the country.
The Army, currently pays N1,000 per day as operational allowance to its troops on ISO.
Although, Daily Sun did not get the new amount that would be paid to soldiers, sources said, however, that the money would be paid any moment from now as soon as all the necessary paper works are concluded.
While the Army authorities approved a daily allowance of N1,500, per soldier, the troops are given N1,000, while the remaining N500 is given to their various units daily to cook for the soldiers.
But this arrangement may have been rejected by the soldiers who are asking that the entire amount be paid to them.
However, a top military officer told Daily Sun that while it was difficult to get the allowances of soldiers especially those on operations in the North-East because of their location, the Army authorities pay the soldiers upfront so as not to dampen their morale.
The source, who does not want to be mentioned in print, said that while it is on record that no organization in the world pays its workforce upfront, the authorities do so because of the nature of the job.
According to the source, “as I speak to you now, our troops have already been paid their allowances for July, and this ,we have been doing regularly and we are getting ready to pay their allowances for the month of August”
