PRESIDENT TINUBU NOMINATES GENERAL CHRISTOPHER MUSA AS NEW DEFENCE MINISTER

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa to be the new Minister of Defence. The nomination was conveyed in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, seeking the confirmation of General Musa as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.

Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy) Bayo Onanuga said in a statement that President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture. The statement detailed the extensive career of the 58-year-old nominee, who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October of this year.

General Musa, born in Sokoto on December 25, 1967, is a distinguished soldier and recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. After education in Sokoto and Zaria, he graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1991 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1 at HQ 81 Division, Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion, and Assistant Director in the Department of Army Policy and Plans. Onanuga noted his command roles in critical operations, including as Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole and later as Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in 2021.

The statement from Onanuga further outlined that General Musa served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps in 2019, and as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff. President Tinubu’s nomination now awaits confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.