Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has been named Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
He will take over from the former Defence Minister , Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who recently resigned on health grounds.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.
The statement said the appointment was formally communicated to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“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,” the statement read.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, 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.
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa has held numerous positions over his distinguished career. These 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.
Gen Christophe Musa
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, he became Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and later Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.
Badaru, who was appointed Minister of Defence on 21 August 2023, cited ill health in his resignation letter. In response, Onanuga stated that President Tinubu “had accepted the resignation and thanked him for his service to the nation.”
