President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence following the resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru on Monday due to health reasons.

Here are some things to know about him:

Musa, born on December 25, 1967, is 58 years old. He graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree after earlier attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria, in 1986 and completing his primary and secondary education in Sokoto before that year.

He served as the 18th Chief of Defence Staff from June 2023 to October 2025, where he oversaw integrated operations across all branches of the armed forces. Before then, he was Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps between 2022 and 2023, directing infantry training and development.

From 2021 to 2022, Musa was the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in Northeast Nigeria, leading counter-terrorism operations against Boko Haram.

Prior to that, he commanded Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region from 2019 to 2021, coordinating joint military efforts with neighbouring countries.

During the same period, he also served as Commander of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole, overseeing sector-level counter-insurgency operations.

In 2019, Musa served as Deputy Chief of Staff (Training/Operations) at the Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps.

Before 2019, he had held several strategic positions, including Infantry Representative on the Training Team at the Army Armour Corps Headquarters, Assistant Director of Operational Requirements at Army Headquarters, Commanding Officer of 73 Battalion, and General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at 81 Division.

Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991, Musa began his military career in infantry roles that formed the foundation of his later leadership appointments.

He is also a recipient of several honours, including the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012), in recognition of outstanding military leadership.

Musa’s nomination comes as the Federal Government seeks continuity in defence leadership following Badaru’s exit. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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