Godsent Ogbebor
Tinubu Nominates Gen Musa as Defence Minister
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the new Minister of Defence following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.
The nomination was conveyed in a letter the President sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, asking the Senate to confirm the retired general. Meanwhile, Badaru resigned on Monday.
General Musa, 58, had a long military career and served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He is also a recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he received in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria.
Read also: Tinubu Appoints Amupitan as INEC Chairman
He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, after which he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
Over the years, he held several key military positions, including General Staff Officer 1 at 81 Division, Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion, Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at Army Policy and Plans, and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He later served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps, and at different times commanded Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before moving on to lead the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.
President Tinubu, in his letter to the Senate, expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen the nation’s security system.
