- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Christopher Musa (Rtd) as the new Minister of Defence.
This is coming hours after the Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the Ex-Army Chief following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru as the Defence Minister.
While the outcome of the meeting held on Monday night was not disclosed, speculations had however grown over possible replacement of Badaru with Musa.
The speculation would be confirmed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Tinubu has written to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, informing the chamber about the nomination of Musa as the successor to Badaru.
As profiled by Onanuga, General Musa 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, the ex-CDS 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.
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.