President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) has nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination of Gen. Musa, who met with the president on Monday, December 1, comes hours after the resignation of Muhammed Badaru as Defence Minister.
PBAT conveyed the nomination of General Musa to the Senate in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Winner of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering 2012, General Musa, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025.
He was born in Sokoto State, 58 years ago, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.
During his distinguished career in the military, General Musah held several appointments, including 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, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps (2019); Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by PBAT in 2023.
Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, quotes Mr. President as expressing confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
