President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

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The nomination was formally conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter from the President, following the resignation of the immediate past Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday.

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer best known for his tenure as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed both his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. In 1986, he secured admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation in 1991.

Over the course of his distinguished military career, General Musa has held several strategic positions, including:

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/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps

In 2019, he played a critical role in counterinsurgency operations as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations), Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

General Musa was later appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in 2021, after which he served as Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. In 2023, President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff.

In the nomination letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capability to steer the Ministry of Defence and further reinforce Nigeria’s security architecture.

Signed:
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
December 2, 2025