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.
Okay News reports that the nomination was formally transmitted to the Senate on Tuesday in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is one of Nigeria’s most experienced military officers, with a career spanning more than three decades across key operational and strategic commands.
He previously served as the Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025, and in 2012 received the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.
According to the communication sent to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry at a critical time for national security.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending 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. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year.
His military career includes several high-profile postings, such as General Staff Officer 1 (Training and Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, Assistant Director of Operational Requirements in the Army Policy and Plans Department, and Infantry Representative in the Nigerian Army Armour Corps Training Team.
From 2019, his frontline leadership expanded as he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training and Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s largest counterterrorism operation, before later becoming Commander of the Infantry Corps.
President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
