By Izunna Okafor, Awka
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was disclosed in an official statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, following the resignation of the former Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday.
According to the statement, President Tinubu formally has also transmitted General Musa’s nomination to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for legislative screening and confirmation as required by law.
General Musa, 58, served as Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is regarded as one of the most accomplished military commanders in recent times. He is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012 in recognition of his exceptional professionalism and leadership.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, the Defence Minister-designate had his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria, where he graduated in 1986. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in the same year and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree.
Throughout his military career, General Musa occupied several strategic command and operational positions. These include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at the Headquarters of 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps Headquarters.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region, where he played a key role in counter-terrorism operations.
In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, after which he became the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In the letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence that General Musa possesses the required experience, strategic vision, and leadership capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
