BY EDMOND ODOK – Less than 24 hours after the sudden resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as his replacement.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said President Tinubu conveyed the nomination of General Musa as the successor to Alhaji Badaru Abubakar in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
The President expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture to combat the current challenges.
The statement described General Musa, who will be 58 years old on December 25, as a distinguished soldier having served as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) from 2023 until October 2025. In 2022, he won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa had 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.
Commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, he has since enjoyed a distinguished career with appointments that 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.
General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai in 2021 and later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
