Ex-Defence Chief Gen. CG Musa Meets Tinubu as Defence Minister Badaru Resigns
Speculation about a possible cabinet change intensified on Monday following a private meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the recently retired Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), hours before the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, announced his resignation.
PRNigeria reports that Gen. Musa, who retired on October 24, 2025, was led into the President’s office area by a senior security official for the meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. The purpose of the meeting was not immediately known, but the subsequent resignation of Minister Badaru suggested Musa may be poised for a new cabinet appointment.
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, 63, officially resigned his ministerial appointment in a letter to President Tinubu dated December 1, citing health grounds. President Tinubu has since accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services.
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Badaru, a two-term governor of Jigawa State (2015-2023), was appointed Minister of Defence on August 21, 2023.
The change in the Defence Ministry comes amid President Tinubu’s recent declaration of a national security emergency and heightened security concerns across the North, including the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, attacks in Kwara, and the kidnapping of Catholic schoolchildren in Minna.
Gen. Musa, Nigeria’s 18th Chief of Defence Staff, was appointed in June 2023 and retired in October 2025, handing over to General Olufemi Oluyede.
Originally from Zangon Kataf in Kaduna State, Musa gained national prominence as Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI, where he led counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram in the North-East.
His tenure as Defence Chief was marked by strong advocacy for civil-military cooperation, modernization of Nigeria’s defense strategy, and being vocal against corruption, which he described as “economic sabotage”. Musa was awarded the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for his service.
By PRNigeria
