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The President formally communicated the nomination in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which he requested the Senate’s confirmation of General Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned his appointment on Monday.

General Musa, who turns 58 on December 25, is a respected senior officer of the Nigerian Army and served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He is a recipient of the prestigious Colin Powell Award for Soldiering (2012), underscoring his professionalism and exemplary service.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa completed his primary and secondary education in the state before proceeding to the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria. After graduating in 1986, he enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1991.

Over the course of a distinguished military career, General Musa held several key command and staff positions, including:

• General Staff Officer 1, Training and Operations, HQ 81 Division
• Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion
• Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans
• Infantry Representative, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps

In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training and 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, he was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, and later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before President Tinubu appointed him Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.

In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu expressed strong confidence in General Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and contribute significantly to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information and Strategy)

December 2, 2025