President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.

The nomination was disclosed in a statement issued on December 2, 2025, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who confirmed that the president has forwarded the name to Senate President Godswill Akpabio for confirmation.

Onanuga said President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in the retired general. “The President believes General Musa’s experience and leadership will further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture,” he noted.

General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is a recipient of the 2012 Colin Powell Award for Soldiering.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his early education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria, and later the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year and rose through the ranks, holding key positions including Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements; and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

Musa also headed strategic operations as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) in 2019, Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before moving on to lead the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

His nomination now awaits Senate consideration.