President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was formally conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.

Musa, 58, served as CDS from 2023 to October 2025 and is widely regarded as a seasoned military officer. He received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his primary and secondary schooling in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year, Musa has held numerous key appointments, including General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements; and Infantry Representative at the Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

He later served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

In his communication to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and bolster Nigeria’s security framework.