Army Debunks ‘Smear Campaign’ Against Niger Delta Commanders Over Soldiers’ Allowance
The Nigerian Army has rejected a viral social media report alleging that two commanding officers in the Niger Delta are withholding soldiers’ entitlements.
The military dismissed the claims as a “sponsored gimmick” and a calculated attempt to undermine effective leadership and destabilize troops.
Military sources clarified that the controversy stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the Army’s Ration Cash Allowance (RCA) policy. The RCA is a cash payment provided to soldiers only when centralized feeding is unavailable.
In the case of troops deployed to protect oil installations, a host company, Oando, provides three daily meals to the soldiers. According to military regulations, when a company directly feeds the troops, the RCA payment must legally be stopped because the soldiers’ ration requirement has already been met.
“The operational allowance is the entitlement of every soldier on deployment. That has been paid promptly, including the September allowance,” a senior officer stated, drawing a crucial distinction. “The RCA is not applicable because Oando feeds the soldiers directly. This is not peculiar to the Niger Delta; it is standard military practice.”
The Army confirmed that while Oando has been slow to remit the RCA funds to the unit’s account for over four months, the units themselves have consistently used their own resources to pay the primary operational allowances, ensuring troops were not financially disadvantaged.
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Far from neglecting their men, the two officers at the center of the dispute—Lt. Col. I.G. Fashona of 5 Battalion and Lt. Col. I.A. Al-Makura of 343 Artillery Regiment—are being publicly hailed for spearheading unprecedented welfare and infrastructural projects in their units.
Under Lt. Col. Al-Makura’s command, Elele Barracks saw electricity restored after a nearly four-year blackout. His initiatives also included reconstructing the Commanding Officer’s residence, building five new classroom blocks, and converting old classrooms into modern two-bedroom flats for soldiers. Lt. Col. Fashona was similarly commended for sinking solar-powered boreholes in soldiers’ quarters, reconstructing the Quarter Guard, and renovating multiple accommodation blocks.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, personally commissioned several of these projects during a recent visit, praising the officers for their “proactive leadership and prudent resource management.” The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division further commended them for their “sacrificial leadership and selflessness.”
Military sources suggest the false claims are a calculated effort to “discredit the Commanding Officers, destabilize troops’ morale, and open the door for compromise” within the region.
Analysts believe the smear campaign is likely linked to vested interests seeking to disrupt the stability and discipline enforced by the two commanders. Their effective leadership has been widely credited as a key factor in helping Nigeria achieve a recent, notable increase in oil production.
By PRNigeria
