President Bola Tinubu has put forward the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, for appointment as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
In a formal letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu presented General Musa as the replacement for Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who stepped down from the role on Monday.
Musa, 58, previously held the position of Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his early education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. After graduating in 1986, he entered the Nigerian Defence Academy that same year and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, he has gone on to build a notable military career. His roles 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.
By 2019, he had 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 became Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He subsequently served as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In his correspondence to the Senate, President Tinubu voiced strong belief in General Musa’s ability to steer the Defence Ministry and enhance the country’s overall security framework.
