President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence. His nomination follows the resignation of former minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.
The nomination was formally transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, with President Tinubu expressing strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to bolster the country’s defence operations and strengthen national security. This was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until his retirement in October 2025. He is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced military officers and is a recipient of several honours, including the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa received his early education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria, where he graduated in 1986. He was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.
Over the course of a military career spanning more than three decades, Musa held a number of key command and staff positions. These include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion; Assistant Director of Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Nigerian Army Armour Corps training team.
In 2019, he took up major operational roles as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole; and later Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin. By 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, before ultimately heading the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps and subsequently rising to the position of Chief of Defence Staff.
Security analysts say General Musa’s nomination comes at a crucial moment, as Nigeria continues to battle insurgency, banditry, and other forms of armed violence. His extensive operational background and experience in leading complex counter-terrorism operations have been cited as strong advantages for the role.
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu has accepted Badaru’s resignation and put forward General Musa as his replacement. The nomination is currently before the Senate for screening and confirmation.
