President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following Monday’s resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.
The President formally communicated the nomination in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, seeking the upper chamber’s confirmation of the retired military chief.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, previously served as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) from 2023 until October 2025. A decorated officer, he is a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and joined the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa went on to build an extensive career in the Nigerian Army. His past postings include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, and later as Commander of Sector 3 in both Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
By 2021, he had become Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and subsequently Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence that General Musa would strengthen Nigeria’s defence leadership and contribute significantly to ongoing security reforms.
The nomination is expected to be taken up by the Senate in the coming days.
