Abuja, December 4, 2025 – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday afternoon administered the oath of office to retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Nigeria’s substantive Minister of Defence during a brief but symbolic ceremony at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The event, witnessed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, service chiefs, and members of the Federal Executive Council, marked the fastest ministerial transition in recent memory — less than 24 hours after the Senate confirmed Musa’s nomination.
President Tinubu had forwarded the name of the immediate-past Chief of Defence Staff to the upper chamber on Monday, December 2, following the abrupt resignation of the former Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Sunday, December 1. Badaru, a two-term former governor of Jigawa State, cited deteriorating health as the reason for stepping down after only 15 months in the strategic portfolio.
Speaking shortly after the swearing-in, President Tinubu described General Musa as “a fine officer and gentleman” whose wealth of operational experience would help drive “a more integrated, technology-driven and intelligence-led national security response.” The President urged the new minister to hit the ground running, saying Nigeria “can no longer afford business as usual” in the face of mounting threats from terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and separatist agitation.
General Musa, 58, brings an imposing military résumé to the civilian role. A member of the 38th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Infantry Corps in 1991 and rose steadily through the ranks. He commanded troops at virtually every level: platoon, company, battalion, brigade, division and theatre commands. Notable appointments include Commander of Sector 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region (2019–2021), Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East (2021–2022), and Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his elevation to Chief of Defence Staff in June 2023.
During his two-year tenure as CDS, Musa championed jointness among the services, aggressive recruitment, acquisition of new platforms such as the T-129 ATAK helicopters and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, and a deliberate shift toward non-kinetic operations, including mass surrender and deradicalisation programmes that saw over 160,000 insurgents and their families lay down arms in Borno State alone.
In his brief remarks after taking the oath, the new minister promised “renewed vigour and better synergy” among the armed forces, police and intelligence agencies. He pledged to deepen the use of technology, establish a national criminal database, and ensure that troops are adequately equipped and motivated. “The Armed Forces cannot do it alone,” he stressed. “It is a collective responsibility of government at all levels, traditional institutions, religious leaders and every Nigerian.”
The appointment comes at one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s security history. Barely a week ago, on November 26, President Tinubu declared a nationwide state of emergency on security — the first of its kind — and ordered the third emergency declaration of his administration after food security and economic crises. The declaration followed a string of high-profile attacks, including the abduction of over 300 schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi States, the killing of senior officers in ambushes, and daily reports of villages being sacked in Zamfara, Katsina and Benue and Plateau States.
Public anxiety has reached fever pitch, with many Nigerians questioning whether the latest measures — including the recruitment of 50,000 additional police and army personnel — will translate into tangible results. Critics point to persistent allegations of corruption in defence procurement and the payment of billions of naira in ransom despite official denials.
General Musa’s immediate predecessor, Mohammed Badaru, had focused on reviving local defence industries such as DICON and pushing for greater self-reliance in arms production, but his tenure was overshadowed by relentless waves of violence and accusations of poor civil-military coordination.
Analysts believe Tinubu’s decision to appoint a recently retired General Musa — who stepped down as CDS only in October 2025 — signals a preference for hands-on, battlefield-tested leadership at the Ministry of Defence at a time when the military is stretched across multiple theatres. Unlike previous ministers who were largely politicians, Musa becomes only the second serving or recently retired four-star general to occupy the position since 1999.
As he settles into his new office on the fifth floor of Ship House, the pressure is immense. Nigerians are looking for quick wins: safer highways, secure schools, an end to ransom-driven kidnappings, and a decisive blow against the remnants of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East. The new minister has repeatedly said “there will be no hiding place for criminals,” but translating rhetoric into reality will require not just military might but political will, adequate funding, and an end to the corruption that many believe sustains the war economy.
For now, the nation watches and waits. General Christopher Musa has taken the oath; the real test begins immediately.
