Tinubu Nominates Former Defence Chief, General Christopher Musa, as New Minister of Defence

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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 Monday.

A statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the President formally communicated the nomination to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter seeking legislative confirmation of the retired general, who is expected to bring decades of frontline military experience to the role.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished military officers. He served as the Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. After graduating in 1986, he gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.

His distinguished career includes key operational, training, and command positions across the Nigerian Army. He has served as:

General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division

Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion

Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans

Infantry Representative/Training Team Member, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps


In 2019, he held critical roles in Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations), Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, Commander, Sector 3 Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

By 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, leading major anti-insurgency efforts in the Northeast. He later became Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu said he has full confidence in General Musa’s capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s defence institutions and advance ongoing national security reforms.

The nomination comes at a crucial time as the administration intensifies security operations nationwide and consolidates efforts under the newly declared national security emergency.