By Ayomide Otitoju
President Bola Tinubu has nominated Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday. The nomination was conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter, according to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In the letter, Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, previously served as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) from 2023 until October 2025, when he was relieved of his duties amid allegations of an aborted coup plot. He was seen at the Presidential Villa on December 1 for a private meeting with the President shortly before the announcement of Badaru’s resignation.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education locally before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria, graduating in 1986. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year and earned a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has had a distinguished military career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans, and Infantry Representative/Member of the Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region. In 2021, Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his 2023 appointment as Chief of Defence Staff.
