President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence. The nomination follows the resignation of Mohammed Badaru on Monday.
Mediaplusng.com reports that President Tinubu formally communicated the nomination to Senate President Godswill Akpabio through an official letter, expressing strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to strengthen the nation’s security system.
According to Mediaplusng.com, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga says the President believes General Musa’s experience and leadership will drive reforms and reinforce the country’s defence operations.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He was relieved of the position following an alleged aborted coup plot—an accusation he has repeatedly denied. Hours before Badaru’s resignation became public, Musa was seen at the Presidential Villa, where he held a private meeting with President Tinubu.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa has held several key military roles. These include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements; and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations; Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander of Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. In 2021, he became Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and later Commander of the Army Infantry Corps before President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
With his nomination now before the Senate, General Musa is set to return to a central role in Nigeria’s defence leadership
