President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was formally communicated in a letter to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, following the resignation of former defence minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
Gen. Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, is Nigeria’s immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, a position he occupied from 2023 until October 2025.
Profile of the Nominee
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria.
He gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, after which he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army.
Over the course of a distinguished military career, he has held several key appointments, including:
General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division
Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, Nigerian Army Armour Corps
Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, HQ Infantry Corps (2019)
Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole
Commander, Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force, Lake Chad
Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai (2021)
Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps
Chief of Defence Staff (2023–2025)
General Musa’s nomination is expected to be screened by the Senate in the coming days.