“Military Leaders Who Have Served As Nigeria’s Defence Ministers Since 1999”

According to reports, President Bola Tinubu has nominated retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence. The nomination was announced on Tuesday, following the resignation of former Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the appointment, noting that President Tinubu communicated General Musa’s nomination in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

General Musa, 58, is a decorated military officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 to October 2025. He is a recipient of the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, which he received in 2012. Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa completed his primary and secondary education locally before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria, graduating in 1986. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, General Musa’s career spans multiple leadership roles, including General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion; Assistant Director of Operational Requirements in the Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative on the Training Team of HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations at the Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps in 2019, and held command positions in Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region. In 2021, he was appointed Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, before assuming command of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps and subsequently the Chief of Defence Staff role.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and lead the Ministry of Defence effectively.

Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, several retired military officers have served as Ministers of Defence, including: Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (1999–2003), Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (2014–2015), Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali (2015–2019), Bashir Salihi Magashi (2019–2023), and the newly nominated Christopher Gwabin Musa.