President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.) as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
The nomination was formally communicated to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter from the Presidency on Tuesday.
Gen. Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated officer and former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a position he held from 2023 to October 2025. He is also 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 later gained admission into 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 years, he has held several strategic and command positions in the Army. These include:
- General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, Headquarters 81 Division
- Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
- Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
- Infantry Representative, Training Team, Nigerian Army Armour Corps
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, and subsequently as Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, as well as Commander, Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
By 2021, Musa was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s major counterterrorism operation in the North-East. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in Gen. Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and contribute significantly to strengthening the nation’s security framework.
Recall that the former Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, had resigned from office with immediate effect, citing health reasons
Related story: https://nationalconcord.com/defence-minister-mohammed-badaru-resigns-on-health-grounds/
