- Tinubu Nominates Gen. Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister
- General Musa served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025
- In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the nomination was transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a formal letter from the Presidency, coming a day after Mohammed Badaru Abubakar resigned from the position.
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General Musa, 58, who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most accomplished senior military officers. He is also a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended primary and secondary schools in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree.
Over the years, he has held several strategic command and staff appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, and Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at Army Headquarters. He also served as the Infantry Representative on the Training Team of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
His operational record includes serving as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, where he led counterterrorism operations in the North-East. He subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capability to lead the Ministry of Defence and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
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