President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, following the resignation of the former minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday.
General Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. A highly decorated officer, he received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. After graduating in 1986, he enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, he has held several key military positions, including General Staff Officer (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion; Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at Army Headquarters; and Infantry Representative in the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander Sector 3 in both Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region, and Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in 2021. Before becoming Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, he was Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Ministry of Defence and help strengthen the nation’s security framework.
The announcement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on December 2, 2025.
