Tinubu Nominates Gen. Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister

By Zainab Uzomah

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 Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.

In a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on his X handle, the Presidency confirmed that a formal nomination letter had been transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, requesting legislative approval for General Musa to assume the crucial security portfolio.

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most decorated military officers. A recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012, he served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He entered the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year, he has held several key appointments across the Nigerian Army, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director for Operational Requirements at Army Headquarters; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

Between 2019 and 2021, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. He was later appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and subsequently Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before becoming Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

President Tinubu, in his communication to the Senate, expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and reinforce Nigeria’s security architecture.