U.S. Navy Adm. Christopher W. Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets with General Christopher Musa, Chief of the Defense Staff of Nigeria, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., January 19, 2024. (DOD photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander Nieves)
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence.
The President announced the nomination in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, just a day after Mohammed Badaru resigned from the position due to health challenges.
In the letter, Tinubu expressed strong confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the ministry and help strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture. The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the nomination in an official statement.
According to the statement, General Musa who turns 58 on December 25 is a seasoned and highly decorated military officer. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025 and previously won the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa attended primary and secondary school in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He completed the programme in 1986 and later enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant the same year, Musa has had an illustrious military career. His past postings include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division, Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion, Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Army Policy and Plans, Infantry Representative/Member and Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
He also played key roles in counterterrorism operations. In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Infantry Centre and Corps Headquarters, Commander of Sector 3 under Operation Lafiya Dole, and later Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
In 2021, Musa became the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai before assuming command of the infantry corps. President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
Badaru’s resignation, announced earlier, was linked to ill health. Tinubu has accepted his departure and thanked him for his service. His exit also comes at a time when the President has declared a national security emergency, with more details expected soon.
Badaru had recently faced public backlash after a BBC Hausa interview in which he suggested that dense forest cover prevented troops from targeting certain terrorist hideouts with aerial strikes.
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