President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The President’s nomination was conveyed in an official letter transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, notifying the upper chamber of the decision and requesting confirmation. General Musa is set to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned from the position on Monday.
General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated officer known for his leadership in several critical military operations. He previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending 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 as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army.
Over the course of his distinguished military career, General Musa held several key appointments, including: General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion, Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans and Infantry Representative/Training Team Member, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps, and later as Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, as well as Commander of Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin.
By 2021, he had been appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, after which he rose to become Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. In 2023, President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and reinforce Nigeria’s national security architecture.
The Senate is expected to screen and confirm the nomination in the coming days.
