Breaking: Tinubu nominates Gen. Christopher Musa, as new Minister of Defence

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following Monday’s resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

The nomination was contained in a letter transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, with President Tinubu describing General Musa as a tested professional capable of strengthening Nigeria’s security framework.

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most experienced military officers.

He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he received in 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 graduated in 1986 and proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant that same year.

Over the course of his career, General Musa held several key command and staff positions, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training and Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

His operational experience is extensive. In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training and Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and later as Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, before later assuming command of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, a position he held until 2025.

In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu said he was confident that General Musa’s leadership would “further consolidate ongoing reforms and enhance the nation’s defence capabilities.”

The nomination is expected to be considered by the Senate in the coming days.