Musa: A Defence Minister Destined To Defy Defeat
By Bala Ibrahim
The Senate has confirmed the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence, upon the conclusion of his screening today, Wednesday, 03/12/25. As expected, shortly after the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, read President Tinubu’s request, urging the lawmakers to consider and approve the ex-CDS, as a replacement for former Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned on Monday, due to health reasons, the Senators obliged the President.
By the speed, and the unanimity employed in clearing Gen. Musa, it is evident that his choice is one of, if not the most popular presentation to the Senate by the Presidency, ever. The pulse of the country also, since the announcement of his name, has been that of ovation over ovation. And the reason is simple- everyone is agreed that the man is detribalized and highly tolerant of other people’s religious beliefs. As the minister of Defence, Gen. Musa has the military skill, experience, and distinguished valour, that give him the disposition of a man that is destined to defy defeat.
Looking through the geography of his birth, alongside the history of his career in service, one can confidently say that, Gen. Christopher Musa was destined to defy defeat, in every facet. By origin, he is from southern Kaduna, in Kaduna state. But destiny took his parents to Sakkwato, the seat of the caliphate, where he was born and brought up, I learnt.
Southern Kaduna is a predominantly Christian domain, where faith, the Christian faith, is on the front page of every indigene’s profile. By orientation, indigenous southern Kaduna people are almost purely inclined to Christianity. Sakkwato, on the other hand, happens to be the seat of the caliphate, and therefore a predominantly Muslim domain. The caliphate has a lasting impact on the Islamization of the life of the people of the region. Therefore, the crossing over of Musa’s parents to Sakwato, and his eventual birth and upbringing there, can be viewed from the prism of destiny’s gesture to him, or nature’s intention to use him, as a catalyst that will help, in defeating the thorny acrimony of religious detestation.
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Although a Christian, Musa mingled all through school and career in the military with many Muslims, where a close Muslim colleague of his in the military, told me time after time that, once it’s time for Muslim prayers, Gen. Musa would be the first to alert the Muslim faithful, to rush to the Mosque, in order not to keep God waiting. That is a character, demonstrated by a Christian, that is determined to defeat religious intolerence and the acrimony of the divide by faith. In everything Christopher does, despite the fact that he was named after Jesus Christ, his relationship with his Muslim friends is completely cordial.
When one looks at the position of Jesus Christ, after whom Gen.Musa was named, it would be found that Jesus is also the second most important prophet of Islam. Yes, Jesus is prophet Isa, who, in the Islamic list of prophets, is the penultimate prophet, succeeded only by the final prophet, Muhammad. So there is unity among the two religions in the General’s name.
Again, the second name of Christopher is Musa, a name the Muslims consider to have come from Prophet Musa, the 13th prophet in the Islamic list of 25, following Prophet Yusuf and preceding Prophet Harun. Another point of unity also. It means, when viewed from the prism of predestination, Gen. Musa can be seen as someone with the gesture of destiny, for use as a catalyst that will help in defeating the acrimony of religious divide.
There are examples abound, of the things Gen. Musa has done for the promotion of unity, and the defeat of acrimony between Islam and Christianity, both inside and outside the military barracks.
In his determination to defy defeat, while serving as a senior military officer, especially in the days when he was the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Musa has made several pronouncements to encourage the importance of defeating terrorism. He was regular in calling for a multi-faceted approach, beyond the conventional military action, by advocating the importance of community resilience, as well as a resolute stance against negotiating with the terrorists. “A population that possesses the ability to remain resilient in the face of terrorism – one that can maintain its composure and unity despite the chaos and fear – is one of the most overlooked yet potentially effective tools in the fight against terrorism, because, It is the silence of citizens that enables terrorists to thrive”, he said. For the war to be won, Gen. Musa was emphatic on the fact that, security is everyone’s responsibility and that Nigerians should be sharing intelligence and not shielding the criminals.
While wishing him success in this assignment, like many Nigerians, I am confident the country is on track, in the journey to defeat terrorism. May Allah help us, ameen.
