President Bola Tinubu has nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu conveyed Musa’s nomination as the successor to Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday citing health reasons.

General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He is a recipient of the prestigious 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 graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has held several key appointments, including:

• General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division
• Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
• Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
• Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps

Leadership Roles in Counterinsurgency

Musa’s career has been closely tied to Nigeria’s counter-insurgency efforts. In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps, before being appointed Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.

In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, overseeing military operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents in the North-East.

He later rose to Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

The nomination comes at a time of heightened insecurity across the country, with renewed attacks in the North and rising concerns over banditry and kidnappings.