President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence. The nomination, conveyed in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, comes following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Mondayn.
General Musa, 58, is a highly distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and was awarded the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria, graduating in 1986. He subsequently enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa has held numerous key positions within the Nigerian Army. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member of the Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
He was later appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai in 2021, and subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being named Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence and enhance Nigeria’s security framework.
