President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the country’s next Minister of Defence following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
The nomination was formally transmitted to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, in a letter where President Tinubu said General Musa is “eminently qualified to lead the Ministry of Defence” and would help “further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”
General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated soldier who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.
Born in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria 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 enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Upon graduating, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991. Over three decades, he built a distinguished military career, holding key operational and administrative positions including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, and Assistant Director (Operational Requirements) at the Department of Army Policy and Plans.
He also served as Infantry Representative on the Training Team of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
General Musa’s operational experience deepened between 2019 and 2021 when he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3 of 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 of Operation Hadin Kai, Nigeria’s main counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operation in the North-East. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In the letter to the Senate, the President praised Musa’s “track record of discipline, leadership, and commitment to national security,” expressing confidence that the retired military chief would bring “fresh energy and strategic focus” to the defence ministry.
The nomination now awaits Senate screening and confirmation.
The statement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, and dated December 2, 2025.