President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar. The nomination was conveyed in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
General Musa, 58, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He later enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa has had a decorated career, including appointments as 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 at the Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.
He was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in 2021, later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In the Senate letter, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s leadership, emphasizing his ability to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
It will be recalled that The Stewardship News earlier reported that President Tinubu has chosen former Defence Chief, Gen. Christopher Musa, as the preferred successor to Badaru.
