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No, Peter Obi did not ask Nigerian Army to reject salary increase until after 2027

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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Screenshot of the viral post

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A claim that Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, called on the Nigerian military to reject the recently announced salary increase for military personnel until after the 2027 general election has surfaced online.

The claim was shared by an X user, @HighChiefOkoro, alongside a screenshot that appears to resemble a report by Peoples Gazette, a Nigerian media platform.

He captioned the post:

“Peter Obi has called on the Nigeria military to reject the increase of their salary until the 2027 election.”

As of August 10, 2026, the post had generated over 150 reposts and more than 400 likes.

The post was also surfaced here and here.

 

CLAIM

Peter Obi called on the Nigerian military to reject the salary increase until after the 2027 election.

Screenshot of the viral post

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The claim comes amid recent moves by the Bola Tinubu administration to improve the welfare and remuneration of personnel in the Nigerian Armed Forces. In July 2026, Nigeria’s Defence Minister Christopher Musa said the government had increased the minimum monthly salary of soldiers from ₦49,000 to ₦100,000, describing the adjustment as part of efforts to improve troop welfare.

The government subsequently announced a broader salary increase for Armed Forces personnel. President Bola Tinubu approved the new pay structure in August 2026, with the increases scheduled to take effect from September 1, 2026. Under the approved structure, personnel from private to staff sergeant will receive an 80 per cent increase, while warrant officers to colonels will receive a 50 per cent increase. Senior officers above the rank of colonel, including generals, will receive a 30 per cent increase. The adjustment is expected to raise the annual military wage bill from about ₦660 billion to ₦924 billion.

However, checks by The FactCheckHub found no evidence that Obi called on the military to reject the salary increase until after the 2027 election. Searches of his official communication channels and credible media reports found no record of such a statement.

The screenshot attributed to Peoples Gazette also could not be matched to any genuine report published by the media organisation. Searches of its website and official social media platforms found no credible record of the purported story.

The absence of the claim from Obi’s official channels and credible media reports shows that the information is not authentic.

VERDICT

The claim that Peter Obi asked the Nigerian military to reject the salary increase until after the 2027 election is FALSE. The purported Peoples Gazette report could not be verified, and the statement does not appear on Obi’s official platforms or in credible media reports.

 

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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