By Muhyideen Jimoh
President Bola Tinubu has nominated the former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence, a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Presidential spokesman disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja.
In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu conveyed Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, who resigned on Monday.
Musa is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October; he won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
Born in Sokoto in 1967, 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.
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, the former CDS was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai and later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by Tinubu in 2023.
In the letter to the Senate, the President expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.(NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
