President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially nominated retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to serve as Nigeria’s next Minister of Defence.
The nomination was communicated to Senate President Godswill Akpabio through a letter from the President, according to a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. General Musa is expected to replace Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned from the federal cabinet on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most seasoned military officers. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his early education in the state before moving to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1986 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation as a commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1991.
Over the years, the senior officer has held key operational and administrative roles within the Nigerian Army, including:
- General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division
- Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
- Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans
- Infantry Corps Training Team representative
He also played critical leadership roles in counter-insurgency operations. In 2019, he served as Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and later the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, before becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.
President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, a role in which he coordinated major military operations across the country.
In his message to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and advance efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security framework.
