By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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President Bola Tinubu has nominated retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, just 24 hours after accepting the resignation of incumbent Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on health grounds, amid a raging national security crisis.
The nomination was conveyed in a formal letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, with Tinubu urging swift confirmation to bolster the country’s defence architecture. “General Musa’s vast operational experience and strategic leadership make him well-suited to strengthen the Ministry of Defence,” the president stated in the letter.
Musa, 57, who turns 58 on December 25, served as Chief of Defence Staff from June 2023 until October 2025, when he was replaced by Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu. A highly decorated officer with over three decades in the Nigerian Army, Musa previously commanded Operation Hadin Kai against Boko Haram/ISWAP in the Northeast (2021) and led the Infantry Corps.
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Abubakar’s abrupt exit on Monday followed Tinubu’s November 25 declaration of a “national security emergency” after mass kidnappings claimed over 490 victims, mostly schoolchildren, in the North. Critics, including Atiku Abubakar, slammed the government’s “celebration” of negotiated releases without arrests, calling it a “disgrace.”
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the move signals Tinubu’s resolve to tackle insecurity head-on, with plans for 20,000 new police recruits and state security outfits.
Senate screening is expected next week. APC chieftains hailed the pick as “strategic,” while opposition PDP called for “results over resumes.”
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