President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the nomination of General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd) to the Senate for confirmation as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

 In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu named General Musa as his choice to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday on health grounds.

 General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a highly decorated military officer and former Chief of Defence Staff (2023–2025).  He is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012) and is widely regarded for his leadership in counterterrorism operations.

 Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his early education in the state before advancing to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in 1991. Over the course of his three-decade career, General Musa held several key command and staff positions, including General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans. He also served as Infantry Representative on the Training Team at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps. His frontline experience includes serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Infantry Centre and Corps (2019); Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole; and later, Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, where he oversaw major counterinsurgency campaigns. He subsequently became Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.

President Tinubu, in his communication to the Senate, expressed confidence that General Musa’s extensive operational and administrative experience will fortify Nigeria’s defence leadership and further strengthen the nation’s security architecture.