Abubakar Siddiq Ibn Usman
The Senate will today screen former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as President Bola Tinubu moves swiftly to fill the nation’s top defence leadership position after the sudden resignation of Mohammed Badaru.
Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the development on Tuesday, describing the screening as a crucial step to stabilise the security architecture amid ongoing operations against banditry, terrorism, and violent extremism.
Musa’s nomination, forwarded to the Senate on Tuesday and expected to be formally read during today’s plenary, comes as the Presidency doubles down on its recently declared national security emergency.
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Bamidele said the upper chamber is prepared to screen the nominee immediately, citing the constitutional requirement for prompt ministerial confirmation.
“We cannot afford delays at a time like this. This affects the core of our national interest,” he said.
General Musa, who turns 59 later this month, previously served as Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and later as Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023. He held the position until October 2025.
His expected return to frontline national security leadership is seen as a move to sustain military momentum in Nigeria’s most volatile regions.
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