President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was conveyed in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, naming Musa as the replacement for Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer and recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012). He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended school in the state before moving to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree and receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant the same year.
Over the course of his career, Musa held several key postings, including:
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General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division
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Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
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Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans
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Infantry Representative, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
He later served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, before rising to command the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in Musa’s capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s defence architecture and provide firm leadership at a critical time for national security.
