President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the new Minister of Defence.

In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu conveyed General Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.

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.

His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion;

Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai.

He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.

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.

Bayo OnanugaSpecial Adviser to the President,(Information and Strategy)December 2, 2025

Nigeria’s defence minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment, with immediate effect.

In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said that he was quitting on health grounds.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President,(Information and Strategy), confirmed that President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.

President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.

Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023.

Badaru Abubakar was the National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) from 2013 to 2015.

Before this, he was president of the Jigawa Chamber of Commerce and held other leadership positions in chambers of commerce.

He was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.

His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course.

‎‎The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, who was scheduled for arraignment at the National Industrial Court on charges of conspiracy and perversion of justice, failed to appear in court on Monday.‎‎

Nandap and the Secretary of the Civil Defense, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, retired Major General Abdulmalik Jibrin, face two criminal counts in a case filed by Immigration officer Badiru Oluwafemi.‎‎

Oluwafemi alleges that senior officials obstructed a court-ordered promotion and falsely claimed an out-of-court settlement, effectively stalling his career advancement.‎‎

In 2023, the Industrial Court ruled in his favor, ordering his promotion.

However, after he passed the 2024 exams, his promotion was withheld when the Comptroller General reportedly urged the Board to tie it to the withdrawal of his lawsuits.‎‎

During proceedings held in chambers Monday, Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi admitted she had skipped a procedural step before issuing the criminal summons.

She explained that the proper process would have been to first direct the police to investigate and report back before arraignment.‎‎

The matter was adjourned to 31 March 2026 for the police report and possible arraignment of the defendants.‎‎

In a related contempt case, Justice Rakiya Haastrup fixed 17 December for hearing.

The claimant seeks the committal of the Comptroller General to prison for failing to comply with a December 2023 order directing his promotion.

The Contempt case is seeking to commit five principals of the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Board for wilfully disobeying the judgment of the court.

‎‎Counsel for the Immigration boss, Uduojie Kennedy, told the court his client had complied with the order, promoted the claimant, and placed him on a new salary scale. However, under questioning, he admitted he had no evidence of salary payment.‎‎

Similarly, Jummai Adaramola, counsel for the Secretary of the Board, argued that the order had been complied with but added that her client is protected under the Public Officers Protection Act.‎‎In sharp contrast, Armiyal Aduku, counsel for Oluwafemi insisted his client had not been promoted, undermining the respondents’ claims.‎‎

Justice Haastrup adjourned the matter, urging all parties to resolve the issue of evidence regarding payment of the judgment sum and report back at the next hearing on 17 December.