By Our Special Correspondent
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the nomination of General Christopher Gwabin Musa to the Senate for confirmation as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which President Tinubu requested the upper chamber’s approval to appoint General Musa as successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned his position earlier in the week.
According to Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, General Musa, a highly decorated military officer who turned 58 on December 25, brings more than three decades of frontline experience to the role. He served as Chief of Defence Staff between 2023 and October 2025 and was the recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his early education in the state and proceeded 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 upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.
His career in the Nigerian Army has been marked by strategic command and operational responsibilities. He served as General Staff Officer, Training/Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements at the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team of the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he held key operational posts including Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps, Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in 2021, later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
President Tinubu, in his communication to the Senate, expressed firm confidence that General Musa’s leadership will further reinforce Nigeria’s defence capabilities and support the administration’s ongoing efforts to stabilise and secure the nation.
