Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, is reportedly set to replace Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar as Nigeria’s Defence Minister, DAILY GAZETTE reports.
Musa held a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday evening.
This was his first public engagement with the President since being retired from the military on October 24, 2025.
According to government sources, President Tinubu informed Musa during the meeting that he would succeed Badaru Abubakar.
Badaru Abubakar, 63, submitted his resignation on Monday in a letter to President Tinubu, citing health reasons, according to Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
“President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his service to the nation,” Onanuga stated.
“The President is expected to formally notify the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.”
Abubakar, a two-term governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023, was appointed Defence Minister on August 21, 2023.
His resignation comes against the backdrop of President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with further details on its implementation expected to be announced soon.
