President Bola Tinubu has nominated immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was conveyed in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio. General Musa is to replace Mohammed Badaru, who resigned on Monday.
Musa, who will be 58 on December 25, served as CDS from 2023 until October 2025. He received the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, he attended primary and secondary school in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has held several appointments. These include General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations at Headquarters 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative and Member of the Training Team at Headquarters Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and Operations at Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps. He later became Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3, Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He went on to head the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps and was appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
