By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

To nip in the bud the waves of insecurity in the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence following the resignation of his predecessor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

The nomination was formally transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter from the President, according to a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

Gen. Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced military officers. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he won in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary schooling in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, earning his commission as a Second Lieutenant the same year.

Over a three-decade career, Musa held several strategic military appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at the 81 Division Headquarters, Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion, and Assistant Director (Operational Requirements) at the Department of Army Policy and Plans. He also served as Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps Headquarters.

His operational leadership roles expanded significantly in 2019, when he became Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

By 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, overseeing counter-terrorism operations in the northeast. He later commanded the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff in 2023 by President Tinubu.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed “full confidence” in General Musa’s capacity to steer the Defence Ministry and reinforce Nigeria’s national security framework.

The Senate is expected to screen and confirm the nomination in the coming days.