President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was conveyed in an official letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, following the resignation of former Defence Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is expected to appear before the Senate for screening and confirmation in the coming days.
A distinguished military officer, General Musa served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army the same year as a Second Lieutenant.
Across his career, Musa has held key operational and command roles, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans.
He has also served as Infantry Representative and Training Team Member at the Headquarters Nigerian Army Armour Corps; Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Infantry Corps Headquarters; Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. In 2023, President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed full confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry, noting that his wealth of operational experience would help strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The appointment was announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on December 2, 2025.
