President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
Via a letter, President Tinubu made known to Godswill Akpabio, President of the Nigerian Senate, the nomination of General Musa to take over from Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
General Musa’s nomination by President Tinubu was announced via a State House Press Release signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday 2 December, 2025.
General Musa, who “won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012”, is expected to “further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture”.
The State House Press Release reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
“In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
“General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He 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.
“In the letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”
