JUST IN: President Tinubu Nominates General Christopher Musa As New Defence Minister

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was contained in a letter sent Tuesday to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, requesting the upper chamber to screen and confirm General Musa as successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar who resigned on Monday on health grounds.

General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from June 2023 until October 2025. A highly decorated officer, he is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).

Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa attended primary and secondary schools in the state before proceeding to the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.

His distinguished career includes commanding the 73 Battalion, serving as Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East, leading Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region, and heading the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.

In his letter, President Tinubu expressed full confidence in General Musa’s capacity to provide strong leadership at the Ministry of Defence and further bolster the nation’s security architecture.

The Senate is expected to commence screening of the nominee in the coming days.