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  • Updated: April 29, 2021

Nigerian Army Rank, Symbol, Functions And Salary Structure

Nigerian Army Rank, Symbol, Functions And Salary Structure

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Whether you are interested in becoming a member of the Nigerian Army or you just want to better understand the role of the army in the Nigerian Armed Forces, here are all you need to know about Nigerian Army rank, structure, symbols and salary structure. 

The Nigerian Army is the largest component among the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Nigerian Army was established in 1960 and saddled with the responsibility of land warfare operations. 

The Major formations of the Nigerian Army include the 1st Division, the 2nd Division, the 3rd Armoured Division, 81st Division, 82nd Division, and newly formed 7th Division.

photo source: The Salary Scale

One of the basic functions or fundamental duties of the Nigerian Army is to defend the country from external aggression, protect Nigerian territories, perform basic defensive operations amongst all other functions. 

As an individual who desires to join the Nigerian Army, it is essential for you to know the various ranks and salary structure in the sector. So, let delve into the full details of the Nigerian Army rank, salary and symbols. 

READ ALSO: Nigerian Police Force Ranks, Symbol, Establishment And Duties

The Rank Of Nigerian Army 

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It will amaze you to know that unlike the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), the Nigerian Army (NA) is divided into two categories, which are: 

1. The Non-Commissioned officers

2. The Commissioned officers. 

Nigerian Army Rank Of Commissioned Officers

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Commissioned officers hold the highest ranks in the Nigerian Army. These officers hold presidential commissions appointment and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate.

Here are the 11 ranks of commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army, this article will be focusing on the ranks from the highest to the lowest. 

  1. Field Marshal
  2. General.
  3. Lieutenant General
  4. Major General
  5. Brigadier General
  6. Colonel
  7. Lieutenant Colonel
  8. Major
  9. Captain
  10. First Lieutenant
  11. Second Lieutenant

Field Marshal

Field Marshal is the highest and the most senior rank of the commissioned officer in the Nigerian Army outranking other General officers. Usually considered as a five star rank in modern-day armed forces, Field Marshal is a position attained by appointment and it requires lots of extraordinary military achievement to reach that position. 

Field Marshals are typically appointed during wartime, therefore to attain this post as a Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) you will need to lead your army to victory in a major war and get the rank of Field Marshal as a token of Gratitude.

 As a marshal, you provide security for courts at the local, state, and federal level. The insignia of the Field Marshal is a five-star rank.

General 

A General is the second-highest level of commissioned officers of the Nigeria Army. As the four-star rank officer of the military, the General ranked nine by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This rank position had been achieved by good numbers of Nigerians.

However, a general is an army staff officer who does not command troops but plans their operations in the field. Usually, the General commands units larger than a regiment or its equivalent or units consisting of more than one arm of the service.

Lieutenant General

A Lieutenant General is one of the high commissioned officer ranks above a Major-General that has two stars and below a General with four stars.

The position is often occupied by the most senior commissioned officer appointed by the President of Nigeria. Generally, a Lieutenant General is a three-star rank in Nigeria and the position is ranked as eight by NATO.

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Major General

The Army's Major General is a two-star ranked commissioned officers of the Nigerian Army that serve as commanders of divisions, which have between 10,000 and 16,000 soldiers.

He performs the major tactical operations and conduct sustained battles and engagements. In the Army's hierarchy, major general ranks below general and lieutenant general but above brigadier general, making the position of the Major General top three ranked in the commissioned officer categories. Major Generals wear an insignia on their shoulders bearing two stars.

Brigadier General

The Brigadier General is a field commissioned officer in the Nigerian Army who rank above colonel and below the general officer grades.  This position is a one-star rank in Nigeria. When appointed, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000 troops.

Most selectees for brigadier general have about 25 years of service when promoted to that regard. The Insignia of the brigadier-general consist of one silver eagle and three stars arranged in a triangular form.

Colonel

The Colonel is the lowest of the commissioned staff rank and a principal advisor to senior officers in the Nigerian Army. Colonel typically serves as staff officers between field commands at a battalion or brigade level.

Colonel ranks immediately above the lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. The symbol of the office of the Colonel is one silver eagle and two vertically aligned stars

Lieutenant Colonel

A Lieutenant Colonels command units of up to 650 soldiers and serve as a deputy to the colonel, also stand as substantive battalion commanders while their Colonels assumed a more ceremonial and political role.

He is the field officer of the middle level with rank four from NATO. The symbol for the Lieutenant rank is an eagle with silver lining and one star.

Major

 It is the commissioned lowest field-grade rank standing above captain in the Nigerian Army and the second in command in the larger organizations of the modern military.

Basically, the Major is the lowest category of the field officer in the commissioned Nigerian Army rank. The Insignia for the rank of Major is a silver eagle.

Captain

A captain is a commissioned officer and the highest tactical troops rank that typically either serve as the commander or second-in-command of a company. The rank of captain is generally considered to be the highest rank a soldier can achieve while remaining in the field.

The Captain is basically an officer who commands a company and rank between Lieutenant and Major. The symbols of Captain comprise three stars that are aligned vertically.

First Lieutenant

 The first lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer who is above the rank of second lieutenant and below the rank of captain. As a company grade, the first lieutenant normally commands a small tactical unit such as troops or platoon. He also serves as a Deputy of the Captain and immediate superior rank at its capacity. First Lieutenant have two vertically aligned silver stars on their shoulders.

Second Lieutenant

The Second Lieutenant is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army. The second lieutenant is a direct subordinate to the First Lieutenant and the second subordinates to captains. The Insignia for the rank of Second Lieutenant is a single star. i.e they have one silver star on each of their shoulders.

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Nigerian Army Ranks Of Non-Commissioned Officers 

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The non-commissioned officers are those who have not earned a commission by the Federal Government or Senate. However, there are eight (8) ranks of non-commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army. 

  1. Master Sergeant Officer
  2. Sergeant First Class
  3. Staff Sergeant
  4. Sergeant
  5. Corporal
  6. Lance Corporal
  7. Private
  8. Recruit

Master Sergeant Officers

The Master Sergeant Officer, also known as Master Warrant Officer is the principal of the non-commissioned officers at the battalion level and sometimes beyond. The Master Sergeant is also responsible for military equipment. 

Although, the Master Sergeants officers are not charged with all the leadership responsibilities of a first sergeant but are expected to dispatch leadership and other duties with the same professionalism.

The insignia of the Master Warrant Officer/Master Sergeant is the Nigerian Coat Of Arms, where the horses are silver and the rest is golden. 

Warrant Officer/Sergeant First Class

The Warrant Officer or Sergeant First Class is the first officer designated as a senior non-commissioned officer in the Nigeria Army and he is the primary assistant and adviser to the master warrant officer, with the responsibility of training and caring for soldiers.

The Sergeant First Class also takes charge, teach collective and individual tasks to soldiers in their squads, crews or equivalent small units.

Sergeant First Class generally has several staff sergeants who work under his direct leadership, let simply say the rank is the lifeblood of the army and its insignia is the golden eagle surrounded by the matching golden crown made of olive leaves.

Staff Sergeant 

The Staff Sergeant is the senior noncommissioned army officer in the Nigeria Army that interacts with a larger number of soldiers and oversees more equipment and property than a sergeant.  

The Staff Sergeant is responsible for the continued successful development of sergeants as well as the soldiers in their section, squad or team. Oftentimes, the Staff Sergeant has one or more sergeants who work under their direct leadership.

They are basically in charge of "developing, maintaining and utilizing the full range of their soldiers' potential. The Staff Sergeant have three shoulder marks and a golden eagle on top as a symbol of his rank.

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Sergeant

A sergeant is a junior noncommissioned army officer in the Nigerian Army that oversees soldiers daily tasks and often leads a team or section of soldiers that are slightly bigger than a corporal's team but usually only up to four soldiers. Sergeant rank is the least rank level where commands are exercised and the insignia of Sergeant is three shoulder marks.

Corporal

Corporal is an enlisted level-4 rank of the non commissioned army officer, in most cases, corporals served as the smallest unit leaders in the Army, principally, leaders of teams. 

Also, corporals are responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of their soldiers. They are as well the backbone of the NCO Corps. Corporals have two shoulder marks as their rank symbol. 

Lance Corporal

Lance Corporal is the lowest officer rank in the Nigeria Army, typically ranking above Private First Class and directly below Corporal. As the lowest non-commissioned officer,  Lance Corporals have one shoulder mark as a symbol of their rank level and the insignia is a single ”V” shaped msrk in the shoulder of their uniform.

Private Army

The Army private officer rank is occasionally assigned to soldiers after disciplinary action has been taken at the Basic Combat Training (BCT). Although the  Army private wears no uniform insignia but ranks immediately below lance corporal.

Recruit/Trainee

The recruit or trainee rank is designed for those who have just newly joined the army force. Usually, the recruit/trainee have no emblem of military rank rather than one shoulder mark.

When it comes to Nigeria military rank, the recruit/trainee is on the lowest level in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army with one shoulder symbol.

Nigerian Army Salary Structure (Commissioned Officers)

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A Nigerian Army officer is paid according to his rank and years of service. Here is the current salary structure of the Nigerian Army commissioned officers ranging from the highest to the lowest.

1. General – Takes home on a monthly basis N1,500,000.

2. Lieutenant General – Take home the sum of N1,000,000 monthly.

3. Major General – Major General receives the third highest with a sum of N950,000 every month.

4. Brigadier General – Receives N750,000 every month.

5. Colonel – Colonel take home N550,000 every month.

6. Lieutenant Colonel – Receives N350,000 monthly

7. Major – Major takes home N300,000 monthly

8. Captain – N220,000 Monthly

9. Lieutenant – Lieutenant monthly salary is 180,000 Naira

10. Second Lieutenant – Second Lieutenant take home a monthly salary of N120,000

Nigerian Army Salary Structure For Non-Commissioned Officers

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The Nigerian Army salaries of non-commissioned officers starting from the highest to the lowest are as follows:

11. Master Warrant Officer – Takes home N90,000 every month.

12. Warrant Officer – N80,000 monthly.

13. Staff Sergeant – Staff Sergeant's monthly take-home is N68,000 

14. Sergeant – Sergeant earns N63,000 per month.

15. Corporal – Corporal receives N58,000 monthly.

16. Lance Corporal – Lance Corporal earns about N54,000 – N55,000 monthly.

17. Private Soldier – Private Soldier earns between N48,000 – N49,000  monthly.

Duties And Functions Of Nigerian Army

The Nigerian army duties and functions cut across controlling land-related vices, terrorism, ensuring peace and stability in the country. Here are the basic functions and duties of the Nigerian army.

  • Protect and defend Nigerian territories.
  • Trains, equip, and organise new officers to carry out combat operations on land.
  • Perform basic defensive operations.
  • Coordinate the enforcement of immigration laws and customs.
  • Defend the country from external aggression.
  • Overcome insurrection.
  • Offer some emergency services.
  • Shape the security environment.
  • Restore order if needed.
  • Defend our historic sites, natural resources, and areas of high importance.
  • Perform any other duties directed by the President or mentioned in the National Assembly.

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