By Bavoriat Clara
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the nomination was formally conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter announcing General Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa, who will be 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer and served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).
Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed both his primary and secondary education there before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and entered the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation.
General Musa has held several key appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations), HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
His operational leadership roles include 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, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, before later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen the nation’s security architecture.
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