President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday swore in General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence during a brief ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
General Musa’s appointment follows the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday, December 1, 2025. The retired military chief was nominated a day later, with the Senate granting swift screening and confirmation.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army in 1991. He enjoyed a distinguished career and was appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Tinubu in 2023, a position he held until his retirement in October 2025. As CDS, he was widely noted for promoting stronger inter-service collaboration to enhance national security operations.
With his inauguration, the new Defence Minister is expected to immediately assume office as the Tinubu administration works to consolidate recent security gains and accelerate defence reforms aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability across the country.
The ceremony was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele; Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Also present were Mrs Lilian Oghogho Musa, spouse of the new minister; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto; and retired Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs.
