General Christopher Gwabin Musa Rtd
By Abdullahi Abubakar
President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday.
The nomination was formally conveyed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a letter from the Presidency, signalling the President’s swift move to fill a crucial cabinet position amid heightened national security concerns.
General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, has over three decades of distinguished military service. He served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025 and is widely regarded as one of the military’s finest strategic minds.
In 2012, he received the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, underscoring his professional excellence and leadership credentials.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986 and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree, the same year he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.
His long and accomplished career cuts across strategic command, operations, and training roles. General Musa has served as:
• General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations, HQ 81 Division
• Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
• Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
• Infantry Representative, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps
In 2019, he played a pivotal role in counter insurgency operations as Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, and later as Commander, Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
By 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, where he oversaw major anti-terrorism campaigns in the North-East. He subsequently became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023
