Tinubu nominates former CDS Christopher Musa as new minister of defence

P 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 to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter sent to the National Assembly on Tuesday.

General Musa is to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned from the position on Monday.

A highly decorated senior officer, General Musa served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025 and is a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering. Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since held several key military appointments, including General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

General Musa also served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and later 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 ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and help reinforce Nigeria’s security framework.

The announcement was made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on December 2, 2025.