President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu formally conveyed General Musa’s nomination to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa, 58, is a highly decorated military officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) from 2023 until October 2025. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.
Born in Sokoto 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 proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa’s career has spanned several strategic roles, including General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member of the Training Team at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he held key operational roles as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations at the Infantry Corps Headquarters; Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
He became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in 2021 and later served as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence that General Musa would provide strong leadership at the Ministry of Defence and further enhance Nigeria’s security architecture.