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.
The nomination was formally conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter from the Presidency, according to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated officer who previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He 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 proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army the same year as a Second Lieutenant.
Over the course of his career, General Musa has held key command and staff appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans. He also served as an Infantry Representative and Training Team Member at the Headquarters, Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
His operational leadership roles include serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps in 2019; Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin. In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and later became Commander of the Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
President Tinubu, in his letter, expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence and contribute to strengthening the nation’s security framework.
