00:00Nigeria is boosting its security forces, President Bola Tinubu said on Thursday,
00:06recruiting 28,000 additional military personnel.
00:11Tinubu's spokesperson called the decision a landmark move to enhance the country's security architecture.
00:18He said the new measures would also see the purchase of equipment and improvements in troop welfare.
00:25Local media reported last week that the minimum wage for soldiers had been doubled to 100,000 naira a month
00:32for the lowest-paid troops.
00:35Tinubu, who's up for re-election in January, declared a nationwide security emergency last November.
00:41The country has been battling homegrown militants since 2009,
00:46but regional jihadist threats are growing as al-Qaeda and Islamic state-linked groups infiltrate the northwest.
00:55Earlier this month, Abuja said it was creating a new tri-border military sector to secure the Nigeria-Benin-Niger
01:03border.
01:04The violence in Nigeria has placed the country under increased international scrutiny,
01:10with the U.S. claiming the country's Christians were being persecuted.
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