President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.

The nomination, announced in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, comes following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru on Monday due to health reasons.

In his letter, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Defence Ministry and enhance Nigeria’s security framework. The nomination was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, General Musa, 58, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and was awarded the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012. Born in Sokoto in 1967, he completed his primary and secondary education locally before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa held key positions including General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division, Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion, and Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans. He also served as Infantry Representative, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

In 2019, he was Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the 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, later serving as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.