President Bola Tinubu has nominated the immediate-past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), as the new Minister of Defence.
His nomination comes hours after the erstwhile Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, resigned on Monday, November 1, 2025, on health grounds.
A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, December 1, said in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Badaru.
The statement added that General Musa, who will be 58 on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
In the letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.