PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES GENERAL CHRISTOPHER MUSA AS NEW DEFENCE MINISTER
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 a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
General Musa, 58, is a highly decorated senior officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended primary and secondary school in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991, after which he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.
Over the years, he has held several key appointments, including:
General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division
Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
Infantry Representative, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
He also served as:
Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Infantry Centre and Corps (2019)
Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole
Commander, Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force, Lake Chad Region
Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai (2021)
Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps
Chief of Defence Staff (2023–2025)
President Tinubu, in the letter to the Senate, expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s defence framework and enhance ongoing security reforms.
The nomination has been forwarded to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
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