President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, CGS, General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
Tinubu had earlier met with the former Defence Chief in Aso Villa, Nigeria’s Presidency on Monday where he was briefed of the appointment.
The appointment was disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the presidential aide, President Tinubu has forwarded Gen Musa’s name to the Senate for approval.
Musa replaced Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday citing health grounds, sources however revealed that he was forced to resign by the president due to the shambolic manner he handled insecurity in the country.
Banditry and terrorism had increased under his watch as the nation’s Defense Minister, sources said, adding that the president could no longer stomach his failure.
Musa, 58, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. H
e won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received 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.
General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments 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.
In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
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