The former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa (rtd) is set to be the next minister of defence after he was nominated by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

General Musa's nomination came barely five weeks after he was fired as the Chief of Defence Staff on October 30. At the time, the presidency had explained that his removal was a routine drill.

The presidency had announced his nomination hours after the resignation of Abubakar Badaru, the former minister of defence, who had occupied the office since 2023.

Daily Trust reported that a credible source within the presidency disclosed that some ministers closer to President Tinubu urged the president to bring on board a Minister of Defence with some military background and in-depth knowledge of the security challenges confronting the country.

Before his announcement, Tinubu had an emergency meeting with him at the Presidential Villa. General Musa reportedly arrived at the State House around 7 pm and was led to the office of the president immediately.

One month after the sacking of Musa as the CDS, Nigeria has experienced a series of banditry attacks, women and children were kidnapped, and some innocent people were gunned down.

In Niger state, 300 pupils and 15 teachers were kidnapped at the St. Mary’s School in Agwara local government area. Students were kidnapped in Kebbi, and church worshippers were abducted in Kwara state.

The president, in his response to the security challenges, recently directed additional recruitment into the armed forces, saying that "the police and the army are authorised to recruit more personnel." The police are expected to recruit an additional 20,000 personnel.

He also directed that the police should use the camps of the National Youth Service Corps for training new recruits in the country, stating that "although I had previously approved the nationwide upgrade of police training facilities.

If his nomination is confirmed by the national assembly, General Musa faces a major task of stemming the tide of rising attacks across Nigeria. The Tinubu-led administration has come under scrutiny for not doing enough to end the attacks.