Tinubu Names Gen. Musa as New Defence Minister

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the nomination of General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence to the Senate, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

General Musa, 58, who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025, is a highly decorated officer and recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa has held several key positions, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations), Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion, and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps in 2019, and commanded Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.

Commenting on the nomination, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said, “President Tinubu is confident that General Musa’s wealth of experience and proven leadership will significantly enhance Nigeria’s security framework and ensure the Ministry of Defence achieves its objectives.”