Tinubu Nominates Gen. Christopher Musa as New Defence Minister

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar earlier in the week. The nomination was formally communicated to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter in which President Tinubu expressed confidence in Musa’s capacity to strengthen the country’s defence architecture and guide ongoing security reforms.

The appointment comes at a critical moment for the administration, arriving just days after Badaru stepped down citing health reasons, and amid heightened public concern over insecurity across several regions. The Defence Ministry is expected to play a central role in the government’s recently declared nationwide security emergency, making the swift nomination of a replacement essential for continuity.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa’s career spans nearly four decades across command, operational and strategic roles within the Nigerian Army. After completing his early education locally, he attended the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria before joining the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year.

General Musa later rose through the ranks, serving as General Staff Officer 1 for Training and Operations at Headquarters 81 Division, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps. His operational experience includes key appointments such as Deputy Chief of Staff for Training and Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the military’s flagship counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, before going on to lead the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, a role he held until this latest nomination. A distinguished officer, Musa received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

With the Senate expected to consider his nomination in the coming days, attention now turns to how quickly the administration can stabilise leadership within the Defence Ministry and continue its push to reinforce national security structures at a time of escalating threats across the country.