…Former CDS Tapped to Lead Ministry Following Badaru’s Resignation
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence, formalizing the choice in a letter sent to the Senate on Tuesday.
The nomination follows the resignation of the former Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday.
General Musa, 58, who will celebrate his birthday on December 25, is a highly decorated and distinguished career soldier. He is well-known for his recent tenure as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a position he held from 2023 until October 2025.
In the letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu expressed “confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”
General Musa’s professional history is marked by significant operational and leadership roles: He is a recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012).
Operational Command: His key appointments include serving as Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai (2021), and as Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region (2019).
Leadership Roles: He served as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his foundational education there before graduating from the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria in 1986. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 upon earning a Bachelor of Science degree.
The nomination is now before the Senate for screening and confirmation, setting the stage for the formal commencement of his duties.
