Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, is being strongly considered by President Bola Tinubu to take over as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, following the shock resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday night, multiple authoritative sources confirmed.
General Musa’s closed-door meeting with President Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa on Monday - his first public appearance with the President since his removal as defence chief on 24 October 2025 - has now taken on added significance. According to insiders, the meeting served as the venue where Tinubu informed Musa of his plan to appoint him as Badaru’s successor.
One senior source said: “The President told General Musa during their meeting that he would take over as Defence Minister. The announcement to the Senate is expected later this week.”
Badaru’s resignation and Tinubu’s acceptance
Badaru’s departure was announced through a letter dated December 1, in which he cited “health grounds” as his reason for stepping down. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed the development, stating that President Tinubu had accepted the resignation and thanked Badaru for his service.
Badaru, 63, a former two-term governor of Jigawa State, was appointed to Tinubu’s cabinet on 21 August 2023. His exit comes amid heightened security concerns and Tinubu’s recent declaration of a national security emergency, with a detailed framework expected to be unveiled soon.
Public support surges for Musa as Nigerians react
Following reports of Musa being considered for the top defence job, Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter) have reacted enthusiastically, with the former defence chief becoming one of the top-trending figures on Tuesday morning.
a.s.liman (@a_s_liman1) wrote:
“Our hope is that Christopher Musa becomes the next Minister of Defence. Nigeria needs leaders with courage, integrity, and a true passion for protecting the nation... May his leadership bring peace and a stronger Nigeria.”
Dambatta (@Dambatta_1) highlighted Musa’s broad national appeal:
“Christopher Musa is widely loved by Nigerians. Hopefully, President Tinubu finds him worthy of replacing Badaru as Minister of Defence.”
Dr. Jaz (@Umar_jaz) expressed a similar sentiment:
“Nigeria as a whole fell in love with Christopher Musa. Everyone wants to see him as the Defence Minister. Tinubu, do the right thing for once.”
Kperogi weighs in: “Badaru Out, Musa In?”
US-based academic and columnist Farooq Kperogi also reacted through a Facebook post titled “Badaru Out, Musa In?” He cast doubt on the official reason given for Badaru’s resignation, arguing that “health grounds” has become a euphemism for forced exits in the Tinubu administration.
“In Tinubu’s administration, ‘health grounds’ has become the political version of ‘my dog ate my homework,’” Kperogi wrote. “It usually means the person has been fired but needs a polite exit.”
He criticised Badaru’s appointment in the first place:
“Badaru had no business being defence minister. He brought no relevant experience, and his temperament was unsuited to a country dealing with a worsening security meltdown.”
He did not spare Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, either:
“His presence in the Ministry of Defence is equally unjustifiable… He also deserves to ‘resign on health grounds,’ preferably before the public loses its sanity.”
Kperogi, however, approved the prospect of Musa’s return:
“If Tinubu plans to replace Badaru with General Christopher Musa, that would be a good call. General Musa knows the terrain and has actually fought the internal enemies Nigeria wants to defeat.”
Leave a Reply