BREAKING: Tinubu nominates former CDS, Christopher Musa as new Defence Minister

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the name of General Christopher Gwabin Musa to the Senate for confirmation as the new Minister of Defence.

In a formal communication addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu proposed the former Chief of Defence Staff to take over from Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down on Monday.

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer and served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He received the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended his primary and secondary schools in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He completed his studies there in 1986 and immediately joined the Nigerian Defence Academy, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has held several key operational and administrative roles. These include General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, at the Army Policy and Plans Department; and Infantry Representative/Training Team Member at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps Headquarters.

He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters in 2019, later becoming Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad area.

By 2021, Musa had been appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai. He subsequently took over as Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before Tinubu named him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence that General Musa would effectively lead the Defence Ministry and contribute to strengthening Nigeria’s security framework.