Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS General Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister

Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS General Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was formally communicated to the Senate in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Monday.
General Musa is set to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned recently.

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General Musa, who will clock 58 on December 25, brings to the ministry over three decades of distinguished military service. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.

Born in Sokoto State in 1967, Musa completed both his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army the same year as a Second Lieutenant.

Over the years, General Musa held several strategic appointments, including General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans.

He also served as Infantry Representative and Training Team Member at Headquarters Nigerian Army Armour Corps, and in 2019, became Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps. In the same year, he commanded Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole and later Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and was subsequently named Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before rising to the apex military position of Chief of Defence Staff in 2023 under President Tinubu.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence, stating that his experience and leadership qualities will further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS General Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister