President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu announced General Musa as the nominee to succeed Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned from the position on Monday.
This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday, December 2, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
General Musa, 58, is a decorated officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025.
He was the recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012 in recognition of his outstanding service.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria.
He graduated in 1986 and joined the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
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He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army that same year as a Second Lieutenant and went on to hold several key command and administrative positions during his military career.
His postings included General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans.
He also served as Infantry Representative on the Training Team at Headquarters, Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
Between 2019 and 2021, Musa 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 the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the Nigerian military’s counterterrorism campaign in the North East, and later Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture,” Bayo Onanuga stated.