President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence. The nomination follows the sudden resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down on Monday citing health reasons.
The President formally transmitted General Musa’s name to the Senate for confirmation in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary on Tuesday.
General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most experienced and decorated military officers. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and remains the only Nigerian officer to receive the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa undertook his primary and secondary education in the state before gaining admission to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He completed his studies in 1986 and immediately enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree and graduated in 1991.
That same year, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant—marking the beginning of an illustrious career that has spanned more than three decades.
He has held several critical command, training, and strategic positions, including:
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General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division
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Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
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Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
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Infantry Representative and Training Team Member, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
In 2019, General Musa took up a central counterterrorism role as:
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Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps
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Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole
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Commander, Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Lake Chad Basin
These assignments placed him at the heart of Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), where he was credited with strengthening multinational military collaboration and improving tactical responses in the region.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, the major military operation for counterinsurgency in the North-East. He later became Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu praised General Musa’s service record and expressed confidence in his capacity to lead the nation’s defence sector during what he described as a critical period for national security.
The President said the nomination reflects his administration’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s defence systems and enhancing operational readiness across all military formations.
General Musa is expected to bring decades of field experience in counterinsurgency, regional security cooperation, and military administration to the Ministry of Defence—a portfolio now central to the President’s recently declared national security emergency.
Following the transmission of his nomination, the Senate is expected to screen and confirm General Musa in the coming days. The President is also expected to communicate the nomination to the appropriate committees for legislative processing.
Should the Senate approve his nomination, General Musa will immediately assume office as Minister of Defence, taking over from Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who served in the role from August 2023 until his resignation on December 1, 2025.
General Musa’s nomination comes as Nigeria battles multiple layers of insecurity, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, and organised crime. His vast experience in joint operations and in working with regional partners is expected to play a significant role in the government’s bid to reconfigure and fortify Nigeria’s security architecture.
With security now dominating national discourse and the President’s emergency declaration still unfolding, the appointment positions General Musa at the centre of Nigeria’s defence strategy in 2026 and beyond.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
December 2, 2025
