Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has promised quick and visible improvements in the country’s security situation, vowing to rebuild synergy among the armed forces and other security agencies to protect citizens nationwide.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, December 4, Musa said Nigerians would begin to see tangible results soon.
“I can assure you, within the shortest possible time, Nigerians will see results,” the minister said.
He emphasised that his first priority would be to strengthen coordination within the military and improve cooperation across all branches of the nation’s security architecture.
“My immediate priority is to make sure that defence takes its place fully in the country. The synergy between the armed forces and other security agencies is important, and [I will ensure that] all Nigerians are carried along,” Musa said.
“As I have always said, security is everybody’s responsibility. It is that synergy that we need to build on and work on, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he added.
The former Chief of Defence Staff said he was returning to familiar territory and would channel the goodwill Nigerians had shown him into real security gains.
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“I want to use this medium to appreciate all Nigerians. Nigerians have shown me love, and I will guarantee them that I am going to work whatever it takes to ensure that Nigeria is secured,” he said.
Musa also disclosed that President Tinubu directed him to deliver security that would be felt in homes, schools, and farmlands across the country.
“I just met Mr President, and he reiterated his view that we must make sure that Nigeria is secured. Nigerians should go back and sleep with their eyes closed, go back to their farms, and schools should operate without being molested,” Musa said.
“Everyone will be carried along to ensure that Nigeria continues to grow in line with the Renewed Hope Programme of Mr President,” he added.
Musa’s appointment came barely two months after his retirement in a broad military shake-up on October 24, 2025.
The 58‑year‑old decorated officer, who won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012, succeeds Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned as defence minister on December 1.
He previously served as Chief of Defence Staff between 2023 and October 2025, where he played a key role in counterterrorism operations across Nigeria’s northern region.