President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
In a statement Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga said the nomination was conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in an official letter on Tuesday, following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025 and is widely regarded as a seasoned military officer. He was awarded the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering 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 in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, after which he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant.
Over the past three decades, Musa has held several strategic positions, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative in the Nigerian Army Armour Corps training team.
He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole, and later 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 and subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
President Tinubu, in his communication to the Senate, expressed confidence that General Musa will bring his extensive operational and leadership experience to bear in strengthening Nigeria’s defence and security framework.
The nomination is expected to be subjected to Senate screening and confirmation.
