In 1975 Joseph Garba was appointed Nigeria's foreign minister (Federal Commissioner for External Affairs) by Murtala Mohammed. Mr. Garba was the head of the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly from 1975, culminating in his appointment as President of the United Nations Security Council in January 1978. In 1978, Mr. Garba was reassigned to the role of Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, which he held until 1980, when he left to study at the National Defence College in New Delhi, India.