Tinubu Nominates Ex-CDS Christopher Musa As Defence Minister

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.

His nomination was contained in a letter President Tinubu conveyed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed Musa’s nomination in a statement he issued on Tuesday afternoon.

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

His nomination came days after Mohammed Badaru Abubakar resigned as Nigeria’s defence minister.

READ ALSO: Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Resigns

Musa, who will turn 58 on December 25, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025, when the President relieved him of the job.

The former CDS, who was sighted at the Presidential Villa on Monday, December 1, had a private meeting with the President at the State House, a few hours before Badaru’s resignation.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there 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 upon graduation in 1991.

Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include 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, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

In 2019, he served as 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 Region.

In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.