Tinubu Nominates General Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister

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 Tuesday.

The nomination was conveyed in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to strengthen the country’s defence architecture.

General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer whose career spans more than three decades. He earned the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012 and 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 proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and the same year gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year.

Over the course of his career, General Musa has held several key appointments, including General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion; Assistant Director for Operational Requirements in the Army Policy and Plans Department; and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

By 2021, he had risen to Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, after which he became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before he was appointed Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

General Musa’s nomination is now before the Senate for confirmation.