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SOMETIMES, a combination of destiny, setbacks, and opportunity, come together as stars to bring some individuals to prime positions beyond their wildest dreams or expectations. But such top-tier positions should be seen as a duty to perform. Gen Christopher Musa, immediate past Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), and current Minister of Defence, has undoubtedly, reached a new level of fame, perhaps respectable prominence, until now, unseen in Nigeria in a long time. As a soldier, Gen. Musa has a rich résumé. For those who do not know, the position of Chief of Defence Staff is the highest ranking military post in the Nigerian Armed Forces. He served as the 18th CDS. He earned it through decades of service, experience, ‘blood and sweat’, and strategic acumen. That was the badge of honour and privilege that he held between June 2023 and October 2025.
Besides, he is the last man standing among his peers of the 38 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). It was not for nothing. Apart from being a trained infantry officer and defence strategist, in 2022, he was a proud recipient of Gen. Colin Powell’s “meritorious award for soldering”. But just three months ago, against expectations, it was as if he had been thrown under the bus by President Tinubu. He was retired. In a solemn speech during his pull-out parade late October, with face ashen that belied his achievements, he sounded emotional, saying he did his best serving the country. He said he was leaving the Nigeria military with a clear conscience. “As I hang my uniform today, I do so with a clear conscience, knowing that I gave it all my all. I leave with cherished memories of camaraderie of battles fought and triumphs celebrated as one family”. He added, “the sound of the bugle may change for me, but the soldier’s heart beats forever”. Unknown to him, destiny was calling, albeit in a different assignment, but in familiar terrain. Now, he’s the ‘chosen one’. He is the first Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff to be retired by an incumbent President and appointed as Minister of Defence within a few months of his retirement in a sequence of events that occurred in the country. Gen Musa’s success story somewhat smells like that of late Steve Jobs, the iconic American tech wizard who co-founded Apple in his parents’ garage in 1976, was ousted in 1985, returned in 1997 to rescue the company from near bankruptcy. But in Gen Musa’s case, his ‘return’ was faster and more breathtaking. It’s the “Power of Second Chance” at work. It fits into the favourite definition of leadership as the “ability to reconcile opportunity and competency. As a respected U.S. Admiral Thad Allen(ret) told Harvard Business Review in November 2010, when an opportunity is provided, “it would be a little irresponsible on my part not to respond with whatever competency I could bring”. As if Admiral Allen had Gen Musa in mind, he described military work as “risky, pressured, and fast-changing”. It calls for absolute clarity about the mission at a high level, extraordinary adaptability on the ground, and a knack for managing complex, technically precise systems”. That’s the task Gen Musa is saddled with as the new Defence Minister. Musa needs no reminding that the opportunity he has been offered by President Bola Tinubu, is called Power of Second Chance. This is why: life has a way of testing how deeply we have learned from our mistakes. My late father used to tell us a proverb that says, “a second chance doesn’t mean anything if you have not learnt from your first mistake”.
That line is what echoed in my mind when Gen Musa was tapped by President Tinubu to replace Badaru as new Defence Minister. Second Chances are not simply about being given another opportunity, they are by far, about becoming someone wiser, more grounded, and more self-aware than before. For Gen Musa, it must be about resilience as ‘bouncing back’. To borrow the words of a researcher, true resilience is about ‘bouncing forward’. It’s also about “transforming setbacks into stepping stones”. It works like this: when a project has failed or feedback stings, or when leadership decisions backfired, the question often asked isn’t whether someone gets another chance, it’s whether that person has grown enough to deserve it.
That is what insurgency in Nigeria has become, and the seeming failure to secure Nigeria and make the country and the people safe. When that is the case, professionals like soldiers in the mold of Gen Musa, should replay their errors like a broken record instead of extracting the lesson and just move forward. I want to believe that as Defence Minister, Gen Musa must have learnt more leadership lessons in the last three months before the new assignment came calling. Often, the lessons learned the hard way involves deep reflection. Reflection turns pain into wisdom, accountability turns failure into progress, and humility turns embarrassment into evolution.
These are not exactly my words. They are lessons learned from leadership missteps. Put in another way, this is what in biblical terms, is called the “Holiness of Second Chance”. It refers to the theological and moral principle, primarily within Christianity, of God extending grace, forgiveness, and opportunities for individuals to make amends. It’s rooted in the concept that everyone is imperfect and deserving of mercy, and that providing a fresh start can lead to personal growth and spiritual renewal. Instances abound in the Bible, of second chances. King David, in spite of his adultery, became the man after God’s heart. Peter, despite denying Christ three times, became the head of the Church, Jonah, among others.
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In practical terms, when next life offers you a second chance(as it’s the case with Gen Musa), the advice is: Don’t rush to prove yourself, instead, ask: what has this experience taught me that will make my next attempt more intentional. This is the reason: wisdom – not luck – is what truly earns anyone the privilege of another go. In this column in June, I expressed my disappointment with Gen Musa’s comments on the killings in Yelwata, in Guma local government council of Benue state. Same with the bloodletting in Plateau. Worse things have happened since then. Gen Musa should draw lessons from that experience in his approach to the present security crisis across the country.
It’s heartwarming he acknowledged in his acceptance speech that the second chance he has now is not rhetoric. It requires action. “This responsibility” is one that I accept with solemn reverence and unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our great nation, Nigeria”. His philosophy, he said, would be anchored on “operational effectiveness through unified action and strategic foresight. We cannot tolerate gaps between policy and execution or between the Defence Ministry and the services”, stressing that the ministry will be the powerhouse of strategic direction, enabling support and relentless accountability”. He also promised adequate support for Nigerian troops in the battlefield who are sacrificing their lives, day and night, to succeed. He has opportunity of a lifetime to write his name on the marble of fame.
Taken as a whole, Gen Musa needs reminding that, while pragmatism is essential for the pursuit of power and the achievement of set goals, so is idealism. It’s all about the larger end, which is securing Nigeria and making the citizens safe, especially at this time that the Sahel region is facing threats from anti-democratic forces. He cannot afford to fail. He admitted that Nigerians have shown him so much ‘love’. It’s time to return that favour by concrete action. The task before him is not a learning curve, he has his job well cut out for him.
Those who know him say that all through his military career, he relentlessly pursued terrorist kingpins while simultaneously promoting non-kinetic strategies. One of the things he has going for his is that the present service chiefs have worked with him as his subordinates, and now, they are heading agencies that come under his purview. This will create synergy and understanding. In addition, he is known to have championed inter-agency collaboration across the military, security and intelligence service, as well as neighbouring countries when he was head of ECOWAS Military Chiefs. In all, he should bear in mind that like a football manager, his previous accomplishments will count little if he fails to deliver in his present assignment. Concrete result is what matters.
