The Nigerian Army (NA) is the largest and most respected branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. With a history dating far back even before the country’s independence in 1960, the Nigerian Army has grown by a lot in terms of manpower and strength making it one of the most formidable armed forces on the African continent.
There are currently around 150,000+ soldiers and around 6,000 officers serving in the Nigerian Army today and each soldier in the army is assigned a rank that is often identified by a badge and has a specific salary that is largely determined by their ranks and years in service.
The ranks in the Nigerian army are mainly divided into two parts – the Commissioned officers and the Non-Commissioned officers.
The non-commissioned officers are also known as ENLISTED PERSONNEL.
Commissioned officers or DSSC/SSC in the Nigerian army are officers who graduated upon the completion of their degree program at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
The Non-Commissioned officers, on the other hand, are officers who joined the Nigerian Army through the Regular Recruit Intake (RRI) program which is conducted by the Nigerian Army, yearly.
Most Non-Commission officers eventually work their way up to the level of the commissioned officers but most times this doesn’t come very easy.
In this article, we will explore the different ranks in the Nigerian Army and the corresponding salaries attached to them.
Here, you will find all the ranks in the Nigerian Army alongside their various symbols/badges/insignia. We will also be including the Nigeria Army salary structure for both Commissioned and Non-Commissioned officers depending on the rank.
Ranks In The Nigerian Army (Commissioned Officers)
- Field Marshal (5-Star General)
- General (4-Star General)
- Lieutenant General (3-Star General)
- Major General (2-Star General)
- Brigadier General (1-Star General)
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- First Lieutenant
- Second Lieutenant
Ranks In The Nigerian Army (Non-Commissioned Officers)
- Army Warrant Officer
- Master Warrant Officer
- Warrant Officer
- Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Private Soldier
- Recruit
Nigerian Army Salary Structure For Officers (Updated)
In this section of the article, we will be giving you a breakdown of the take-home pay/salary structure of officers and cadets enlisted in the Nigerian Army.
As expected, officers with higher ranks earn the highest salary when calculated annually or monthly. Also, commissioned officers earn more than the Non-Commissioned officers/enlisted personnel in the Nigerian army.
Salary Structure For Commissioned Officers (Monthly & Yearly)
- General – 1.5 Million Naira (Monthly) & 18 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Lieutenant General – 1 Million Naira (Monthly) & 12 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Major General – 950,000 Naira (Monthly) & 11.4 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Brigadier General – 750,000 Naira (monthly) & 9 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Colonel – 550,000 Naira (Monthly) & 6.6 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Lieutenant Colonel – 350,000 Naira (Monthly) & 4.2 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Major – 300,000 Naira (Monthly) & 3.6 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Captain – 220,000 Naira (Monthly) & 2.6 Million Naira (Yearly)
- First Lieutenant – 180,000 Naira (Monthly) & 2.16 Million Naira (Yearly)
- Second Lieutenant – 120,000 Naira (Monthly) & 1.44 Million Naira (Yearly)
Salary Structure For Non-Commissioned Officers (Monthly)
- Corporal – 58,000 Naira (Monthly)
- Sergeant – 63,000 Naira (Monthly)
- Staff Sergeant – 68,000 Naira (Monthly)
- Warrant Officer – 80,000 Naira (Monthly)
- Master Warrant Officer – 90,000 Naira (Monthly)
Nigerian Army Ranks For Commissioned Officers & Their Badges/Insignia (Explained)
1) Field Marshall
The Field marshall is the highest-ranking officer in the Nigerian Army. By the laws of Nigeria, the Field marshall rank MUST be given to an officer only on honorary grounds and no officer can attain this rank via promotion.
As history may have it, no officer in the Nigerian Army has been able to reach the rank of a Field Marshall. A Field marshall is a 5 Star general in the army.
This rank is equivalent to the Marshal (Nigerian Air Force) and Admiral of the fleet (Nigerian Navy).
2) General
Technically, the General is the highest-ranking officer in the Nigerian army since no officer has been able to attain the position of a Field Marshall. Currently. then only ranking General in the Nigerian Army occupies the position of the Chief Of Defence Staff.
The General is similar to the Air Chief Marshal (Nigerian Air Force) and the Admiral (Nigerian Navy).
3) Lieutenant General
The Lieutenant General is a high-ranking officer in the Nigerian army, above Major General, and below the general.
Most officers who attain the rank of Lieutenant General in the Nigerian Army usually occupy the office of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The Lieutenant General ranks just below the General in the Nigerian Army.
Lieutenant Generals are similar to the Vice-Admirals in the Nigerian Navy and the Air Marshals in the Nigerian Air Force.
4) Major General
The Major General is also a high-ranking officer in the Nigerian Army and air force, above Brigadier or Brigadier General and below Lieutenant General. The Major General is a 2-star general in the army.
Major Generals are similar to the Rear Admirals in the Nigerian Navy and the Air Vice Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force.
5) Brigadier General
The Brigadier General is a rank of officer in the Nigerian army who is a direct superior to the Colonel and a junior to the Major Generals.
It is equivalent to the Rear Admiral in the Nigerian Navy and the Air Vice-Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force. The Brigadier General is a 1-star general in the Nigerian Army.
6) Colonel
A Colonel is a senior military officer whose rank is below the Brigadier General and Major Generals but ranks higher than the officers with the Major rank.
This rank is equivalent to the Captain Rank in the Nigerian Navy and the Group Captain Rank in the Nigerian Air Force.
7) Major
A Major is a military rank of commissioned officer in the Nigerian Army which is a direct superior to the Captains but a junior to the Colonels and the Brigadier Generals.
This is one of the ranks in the Nigerian army and it is similar to the rank of a Lieutenant Commander in the Nigerian Navy and the Squadron Leader in the Nigerian Air Force.
8) Captain
The army rank of captain in the Nigerian army is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers.
This rank is very similar to the Lieutenant Rank in the Nigerian Navy and the Flight Lieutenant Rank in the Nigerian Air Force.
9) First Lieutenant
A First Lieutenant is a commissioned Soldier in the Nigerian Army. This rank is just below the Captains and superior to the Second Lieutenants.
It is also equivalent to the rank of a sub-lieutenant in the Nigerian Navy and a Flying Officer in the Nigerian Air Force.
10) Second Lieutenant
The Second-lieutenant is also one of the ranks in the Nigerian Army (Commissioned). Second Lieutenants are the lowest ranking officers of all Commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army but they are higher-ranking officers than all Non-commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army.
This rank is similar to Midshipman in the Nigerian Navy and Pilot Officer in the Nigerian Air Force.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, the Nigerian Army is an important institution that plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the lives and property of Nigerians against both external and internal security threats – whatever or whoever they may be.
Like most armed forces around the world, the Nigerian army is a hierarchical institution with various ranks that reflect different levels of responsibility and authority. The salary of soldiers in the Nigerian Army is also largely dependent on rank and years served.
While the salary of both commissioned and non-commissioned officers may not be as high as some professions in the private sector, serving in the Nigerian Army or any other branch of the Nigerian armed forces is a noble profession that requires a high level of dedication and commitment.
