By Ademuyiwa Balikis
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
The announcement was made in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the ministry and further strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.
Genera Musa recently retired as the Chief of Defence Staff in October 2025 after serving from 2023. Over the course of his career, he held several key positions, including Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, and leader of Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole as well as the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
His service has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012 and the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2023.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his early education locally before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. That same year, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army.
Before his ministerial nomination, Musa had briefly served on an international board outside the military following his retirement.
President Tinubu’s nomination of General Musa comes at a time when Nigeria continues to face diverse security challenges, with expectations that the new minister will build on existing strategies to enhance the country’s defence capabilities.
