POWER SHIFT IN DEFENCE: TINUBU BRINGS BACK GEN. CHRISTOPHER MUSA AFTER BADARU’S EXIT

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally nominated former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence—an explosive development that validates SaharaReporters’ earlier exclusive that the retired military chief was being positioned to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who abruptly ‘resigned’ on Monday.

The nomination was contained in an official statement released on Tuesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, marking a decisive shift in Tinubu’s evolving security architecture.

It was exclusively revealed that Musa met with President Tinubu late Monday at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa—his first public audience with the President since his unexpected retirement on October 24, 2025. According to highly placed sources, the President personally informed Musa during that meeting that he would “succeed Badaru as Defence Minister,” reinforcing speculations that the administration is embracing a harder, more strategic military posture.

In a letter transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Presidency stated unequivocally:
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.”
The letter further clarified that the nomination follows the resignation of Badaru, who vacated his position earlier on Monday.

A Decorated Officer Returns to the Helm

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished and battle-tested military officers. A native of Sokoto, he began his educational journey in the state before attending the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. He was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1986, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

His stellar career includes commanding some of Nigeria’s most challenging military formations. He has served as:

General Staff Officer 1, Training & Operations, HQ 81 Division

Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion

Assistant Director of Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy & Plans

Infantry Representative/Training Team Member at HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps


From 2019 onward, Musa held increasingly strategic roles, including Deputy Chief of Staff (Training & Operations), Commander of Sector 3 in Operation Lafiya Dole, and Commander of Sector 3 in the Multinational Joint Task Force operating across the volatile Lake Chad Basin.

In 2021, he became Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the military’s flagship campaign against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists. His effectiveness in the role earned him the command of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, and later, in 2023, President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff.

A highlight of his career came in 2012 when he received the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering, cementing his reputation as a disciplined, strategic, and highly decorated officer.

Tinubu’s New Security Gambit

The Presidency, in its letter to the Senate, affirmed President Tinubu’s full confidence in Musa’s capacity to “lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”

Analysts note that Musa’s return signals a dramatic recalibration of Nigeria’s defence strategy amid increasing local and international pressure on the Tinubu administration to produce tangible results in national security.

With Musa’s nomination now before the Senate, Nigeria may be on the verge of a sweeping defence realignment—and all eyes will be watching.