Tinubu sends the name of former defence chief General Musa to senate for approval as new minister

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has forwarded the name of the former chief of defence staff Retired General Christopher Musa to the Senate as his nominee for the position of defence minister following the abrupt resignation of the incumbent Mohammed Badaru yesterday.

In a surprise development, Mr Badaru, the former Jigawa State governor resigned from office, citing ill-health as the reason why he was leaving. Given the grave nature of the security situation in the country, President Tinubu had to act swiftly to fill the position, so he nominated General Musa who was only retired from active military duty in October.

Earlier today, the nomination was conveyed in a letter sent to senate president, Senator Godswill Akpabio. In his letter to the senate, the president expressed confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the defence ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, said: “General Musa, 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.

“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

“General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. In 2021, General Musa was appointed as the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai and he later became commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed chief of defence staff by President Tinubu in 2023.”

Mr Badaru, who was appointed defence minister on August 21, 2023, recently came under criticism following a BBC Hausa interview in which he said some terrorists could not be targeted because their forest hideouts were too dense for bombs to reach. Mr Onanuga added that President Tinubu had accepted the resignation and thanked Mr Badaru for his service to the nation.