Breaking: Tinubu Nominates Former CDS Christopher Musa as Defence Minister

President Bola Tinubu has put forward the name of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, for appointment as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which President Tinubu proposed General Musa as the replacement for Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down on Monday.

General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. A distinguished officer, he received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before moving on to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. After graduating in 1986, he joined the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa has held numerous significant positions throughout his military career. These include General Staff Officer 1 in Training/Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer of the 73 Battalion; Assistant Director for Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps Headquarters.

His service record also features key operational leadership roles. In 2019, he worked as Deputy Chief of Staff for Training/Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, and later served as Commander of Sector 3 in both Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad area.

In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu subsequently appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

While forwarding the nomination, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and enhance Nigeria’s national security framework.