Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS Musa As New Defence Minister
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Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS Musa As New Defence Minister
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was contained in a letter transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, in which President Tinubu sought the Senate’s confirmation of the retired general as successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on health grounds earlier on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025.
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He is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he received 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.
He graduated in 1986 and immediately gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has held several strategic military appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans.
He also served as Infantry Representative on the Training Team at Headquarters Nigerian Army Armour Corps and later as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Infantry Corps Centre. In 2019, he commanded Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole and later Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence that General Musa’s wealth of experience would further strengthen Nigeria’s defence architecture at a critical moment for national security.
