Tinubu nominates ex-CDS Christopher Musa as new Defence Minister, Senate to screen nominee Wednesday
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa as the new Minister of Defence
This was contained in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, wherein the President conveyed Musa’s nomination as the successor to Mohammed Badaru Abubakar who resigned on Monday on health grounds.
President Tinubu in the letter expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed Musa’s nomination in a statement on Tuesday.
“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General 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.
“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,” the statement read in part.
“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,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has disclosed in a statement issued via his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Tuesday, that the Defence Minister nominee would be screened by the Senate on Wednesday.
Bamidele noted that the Senate “is already in possession of the request of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to screen his Defence Minister nominee.”
He said that the letter would be read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, while screening would commence afterwards, in line with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“We cannot delay such a request, especially at this crucial time in the history of our fatherland. We are treating the request as a matter that directly touches the core interest of our nation so that the federal government can sustain its campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists and other forces undermining our national security.
“Since the president has declared a state of emergency on national security, both the Presidency and the National Assembly must work hand in hand to ensure peace, stability and good governance.
“The screening of the Defence Minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such synergy, purely in the national interest”, Bamidele said.
Recall that Nigeria’s Minister of Defence Badaru Abubakar had resigned his position on Tinubu’s cabinet on health grounds, in a letter dated December 1 2025, addressed to the President.
Bayo Onanuga had announced the development via a statement on Monday which said that the President had accepted the former Minister’s resignation, and set to name a new Minister of Defence during the week.
“In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds. President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation,” the statement had read in part.
Abubakar had served as two-term Governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023 before his appointment as Minister of Defence in 2023.
