President Tinubu Nominates Gen. Musa as New Defence Minister after Abubakar’s Resignation
Following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
President Tinubu conveyed this in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday.
General Musa, who will be 58 on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
General Musa 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 at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ 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.
Similarly, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in 2021 and later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
