President Bola Tinubu has nominated a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.

The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, announcing Musa as the replacement for Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who resigned from the position on Monday due to health reasons.

In his letter to the Senate, the President expressed confidence in Musa’s capacity to lead the Defence Ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.

The nomination was confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The statement added, “General Musa, 58, on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

“General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career. His appointments include General Staff Officer 1, Training/Operations at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.

“In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Region.

“In 2021, General Musa was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai. He later became Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before being appointed Chief of Defence Staff by President Tinubu in 2023.”

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has officially launched the 50-oil-block 2025 licensing round portal, with a view to attracting fresh investments worth $10 billion.

The round is also expected to add approximately two billion barrels to the national oil reserves over the next decade.

The Commission Chief Executive, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, said at a press conference on Monday, that 50 oil and gas blocks are on offer across onshore, swamp/shallow water, frontier basins, and deepwater terrain.

The breakdown of the blocks includes 15 onshore blocks, 19 shallow-water blocks, 15 frontier assets, and 1 deepwater block.

Engineer Komolafe noted that when fully developed, these blocks can deliver an estimated 400,000 barrels per day.

The NUPRC outlined the key objectives of the 2025 Licensing Round, which include boosting Nigeria’s reserves, increasing production capacity, expanding gas utilisation, and creating thousands of jobs across the value chain.

Other key objectives of the Round were listed as enhancing indigenous participation and reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to transparency in line with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) principles.

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of six people by gunmen in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, revealed that the victims, six marketers of a Lagos-based real estate firm, were kidnapped at Oyebola village.

Ogunlowo, however, said officers and men of the command had activated a manhunt to rescue the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The police commissioner, while confirming the unfortunate incident on Sunday, said that according to a report from one of the workers, the victims were whisked away during their visit to the area.

“So, they brought some marketers from Lagos to come and see the land so that they can have the requisite information to market the land for the members of the public who are interested,” Ogunlowo said.

“It was during their visit to this land that the six people were abducted.

“It happened on Friday, and the command had been on it since, and we shall definitely ensure that these people regain their freedom,” he added.