Nigeria’s Senate will on Wednesday, December 3, conduct the screening of Lt. Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, following his nomination by President Bola Tinubu as the new Minister of Defence.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) confirmed the schedule in a statement, stressing the urgency of the process given the country’s worsening security challenges. “We cannot delay this request… it directly touches the core interest of our nation to sustain campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists, and other threats,” he said.

Musa’s nomination comes after the abrupt resignation of Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Monday, citing health reasons. Tinubu’s letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio invoked Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), mandating the screening and confirmation process.

Bamidele underscored bipartisan support for the move, noting that Tinubu’s State of Emergency on security requires swift cooperation between the executive and legislature. The session will begin with the formal reading of the President’s letter, followed by immediate vetting.

Musa, 57, hails from Plateau State and is widely regarded for his leadership of Operation Hadin Kai against Boko Haram and ISWAP between 2023 and 2025, during which he oversaw territorial recoveries and troop welfare reforms.

His distinguished military career includes command roles in infantry units, UN peacekeeping missions, and West African regional operations.

The screening comes amid escalating insecurity, including recent mass abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States, which have prompted Tinubu to redeploy 100,000 police officers from VIP duties and order 24-hour Air Force surveillance over identified hotspots.