Why Tinubu returned Gen Musa

Barring any last minute change, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gabwin Musa (rtd) would be the next minister of defence, following his nomination on Monday by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

General Musa left office as CDS barely five weeks ago on October 30, in what was officially explained as a routine drill.

His appointment was announced hours after former governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who had been serving in that position since 2023, ‘resigned’ on Monday.

Following the announcement, there have been questions on reason for the appointment since he barely left office.

A credible source around the presidency told Daily Trust last night that some ministers close to President Tinubu suggested that there was the need to bring on board as minister of defence, someone with military background and ample knowledge of the security challenges afflicting Nigeria.

General Galadanchi speaks

Retired Brigadier General Mohammed Kabir Galadanchi, when contacted, expressed confidence in the  capacity of General Musa to support the president in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.

He said, “we need somebody who has understanding of the military in itself and its operation to help the president in executing most of the policies in dealing with this issue.” He added that “C.G. Musa has been part and parcel of the training… the impartial ways and means of solving this problem.”

Highlighting Musa’s career trajectory, Galadanchi recalled that “he was commandant of Depot-Nigeria Army, where soldiers are trained to take part in operations. He was Theater commander, General Officer, Commanding, and he became the Chief of Defense Staff. With such credentials, Musa has all what it takes to perform.”

He added: “The people who are serving as service chiefs now… have worked with him as his subordinates, and now they are heading agencies that will come under his review. This will create synergy and understanding.”

Also speaking, the Editor-in –Chief of PRNigeria, Yushau A. Shuaib, said, “General Musa distinguished himself by championing effective inter-agency collaboration across the military, security and services, as well as with neighbouring countries in his role as Head of ECOWAS Military Chiefs.

“His exemplary, decisive, yet compassionate leadership was evident as Theatre Commander, where he relentlessly pursued terrorist kingpins while simultaneously promoting non-kinetic strategies that led to the mass surrender of vulnerable groups and families for rehabilitation.

“He is widely respected across diverse communities and theatres of operation, particularly in Northern Nigeria, by both Muslims and Christians. Indeed, he is cherished not only in Sokoto, where he was raised, and Borno, where he proved his worth as a commander, but also beyond his native Kaduna. In a time marked by ethno-religious sentiments, leaders like General Musa stand out as unifier who can foster national unity and brotherhood.

“If confirmed as Defence Minister, General Musa is certain to sustain the momentum of collaboration, and effective supervisory roles towards precise military operations, and further strengthen national cohesion,” he said.

Challenges

Part of the challenges he will encounter is the problem of increased insecurity in the North West, surge in Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, and rising cases of terrorism in the North Central.

There are also increasing cases of abductions in the South South states of Edo and Delta as well as parts of the South West.

Some say luckily for Musa, he is senior to all the service chief, hence is not expected to have any cases of clash with those he is supposed to work with.

Speaking on the challenges the new minister may face, Galadanchi was clear: “it’s a leadership challenge. He is coming with new ideas.”

He explained that the Ministry of Defence has existed for long with entrenched practices, and since many personnel “are used to a certain way of doing things,” the Minister “might have a very big challenge in that area.”

To overcome this, he advised bringing in “new people that will have new ideas” as well as forming “a committee of retired senior officers, who have commanded troops outside so that they can be able to sit down and advise him on how to deal with these challenges.”

Kukasheka explained that CG Musa is bound to make a difference because the powers of a minister are entirely different from the powers of the CDS.

“When you check his antecedents, he is the right person for the job, considering that it is not long he left the military. He enjoys the goodwill of all the service chiefs and the officers and troops under them.

“They will listen to him and he will not be misled because he was in the field at a time. He was a theatre commander in the North East and was also the Commander of the Infantry Corp, which has over 70 per cent of the army,” he said.

Musa in the defence ministry hierarchy

The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff will be the 13th person to occupy the defence minister position in the current democratic dispensation. He will be the sixth army officer to do so out of the many that have served in the position since 1999.

He would be taking after the likes of General Theophilus Danjuma, Aliyu Gusau,  Godwin Abbe, Bashir Salihi Magaji and Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali. When Olusegun Obasanjo took the oath of office in 1999 as president, his first appointment as defence minister was General Theophilus Danjuma.

By 2003 when he returned as president, he gave the defence portfolio to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who had lost his bid to return as governor of Kano State, in what was seen as informed purely by political considerations.

Umaru Yar’adua continued with the tradition of giving it to civilians by putting Yayale Ahmed and Shettima Mustapha incharge of the defence ministry.

But those ministers who served prior to 2009, were seen as peace time defence ministers as insurgency and terrorism which started in the North East flank of the country had not reached alarming levels. The lot fell on Godwin Abbe, in 2009 when the problem was becoming intractable. Since then it has been a mishmash of military and civilians.

Who is General Musa?

General Musa, 58, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

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.

General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991. 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.

Promises yet to be fulfilled

In September 2024, General Musa, who was then chief of defence staff, vowed to capture Bello Turji, one the most notorious bandit kingpins operating in the North West.

Musa, while speaking with newsmen in Abuja, described Turji as a deranged individual and assured the public that the military was closing in on him.

He said, “I can bet you it’s just a matter of time. We’re going to get him, and I can assure you it will be within the shortest possible time.” But he did not fulfill the promise until he left office in October. He also promised to end banditry in Zamfara and other parts of the North West. That did not happen.

By Hamza Idris, Andrew Agbese & Mohammed Yaba (Kaduna)

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