President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, where President Tinubu asked the Senate to confirm General Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated officer best known for his tenure as Chief of Defence Staff between 2023 and October 2025. He 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 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.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has built an illustrious military career. His previous postings include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team, Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training and Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin.
By 2021, Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, after which he became Commander of the Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence and contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
