Muhammad Basheer HotoroPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The appointment was announced on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. In a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu forwarded Musa’s name for confirmation as the successor to Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday due to health issues.
General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025 and won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his early education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year.
Musa has held several key military positions, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at Army Headquarters; and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
He commanded Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, a position he held until his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
President Tinubu, in his communication to the Senate, expressed confidence that General Musa would strengthen the country’s defence apparatus and contribute significantly to national security.
