President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday. The nomination was formally transmitted to the Senate in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In the letter, President Tinubu said General Musa is being put forward to strengthen Nigeria’s security leadership and sustain the “ongoing reforms within the nation’s defence architecture.” The President expressed full confidence in the retired four-star general’s capacity to deliver.
“General Musa has served this nation with distinction, courage, and integrity. I am confident he will bring the same commitment to the Ministry of Defence,” Tinubu stated in the correspondence.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced military commanders. He previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025, and is a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering — one of the U.S. military’s notable international recognitions for professionalism.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended primary and secondary school in the state before enrolling at the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, after which he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant.
Over his 34-year military career, General Musa held several key command and staff appointments. These include: General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative, Training Team, Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole; and later Commander of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
In 2021, Musa was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s largest counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operation in the North-East. He later became Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, confirmed the nomination in a statement, saying the President believes Musa’s wealth of operational and administrative experience “will further consolidate the progress made in safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity.”
The Senate is expected to screen and confirm the nominee in the coming days. If approved, General Musa will assume leadership of the Defence Ministry at a time when Nigeria continues to confront terrorism, banditry, oil theft, and other complex security challenges.
