iDeemlawfulPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put forward General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) as the new Minister of Defence.
In a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu named General Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down from the position on Monday.
General Musa, who turns 59 on December 25, is a decorated military officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025.
He received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria.
He concluded his studies in 1986 and joined the Nigerian Defence Academy that same year, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, he went on to build a distinguished military career.
Among his notable postings are General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad area.
By 2021, General Musa became Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later served as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In the letter sent to the Senate, the President expressed trust in General Musa’s capability to oversee the Ministry of Defence and strengthen the nation’s security architecture.
