Plans to promote Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, to the rank of brigadier-general were shelved at the last minute following the intervention of two former chiefs of army staff, TheCable has reported.
Yusuf, who was decorated as a colonel in January 2025, was to receive the new rank through a “special presidential promotion,” bypassing established military procedures.
Under normal military rules, officers must serve at least four years as colonels and attend the National Defence College before consideration for promotion. However, approval to bypass the process was conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, from the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to the chief of army staff. The letter indicated Yusuf would retain his role as ADC despite the promotion.
Military sources told TheCable that the planned decoration raised concerns about setting a “bad precedent,” noting that no brigadier-general has ever served as ADC to a Nigerian president.
A presidential source said the promotion would not happen “anytime soon,” following warnings that the move could undermine military discipline and hierarchy.