Tinubu Nominates Former Defence Chief Musa as New Minister of Defence
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
In a letter to the Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed the nomination, naming General Musa as the successor to Mr. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
The announcement was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga. He said President Tinubu, in his letter to the Senate, expressed confidence in Gen. Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and to further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Gen. Musa, who will turn 58 on 25 December, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025, when the President relieved him of the role following an alleged aborted coup plot against the administration.
The former CDS, who was sighted at the Presidential Villa on Monday, 1 December, held a private meeting with the President at the State House a few hours before the announcement of Mr. Badaru’s resignation.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Gen. Musa received his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon completion in 1991.
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include: General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, Headquarters 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.
In 2021, Gen. 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 President Tinubu in 2023.
