President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the “special presidential promotion” of his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, from Colonel to the rank of Brigadier-General.
The decision, conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, from the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, has reportedly sparked significant disquiet and discontent within the Nigerian Army.
The promotion has raised widespread concern in military circles because it marks the second elevation for Yusuf within a 12-month period, a move military sources describe as unprecedented and a violation of established promotion principles.
Mr. Yusuf was promoted and decorated as a Colonel in January 2025 (following his promotion in December 2024). He has now been elevated directly to Brigadier-General in December 2025.
According to army rules, a Colonel is typically expected to spend between four to five years in the rank and meet specific professional requirements, such as completing courses at a War College or the National Defence College, before becoming eligible for Brigadier-General.
Several officers, including some of his coursemates, reportedly expressed frustration over what they described as an unprecedented fast-tracking of his career, with critics accusing the President of favouritism.
An aggrieved senior officer told a Premium Times, “This beggars belief and defies all logic. Someone who was just promoted to colonel this year?”
While neither the Presidency nor the Nigerian Army has publicly offered an official explanation, an anonymous Presidency source justified the acceleration as necessary to maintain command hierarchy within the Presidential Villa’s security architecture.
The source explained that the President approved the promotion to align Yusuf’s rank with those of other senior security officials attached to the Villa who have also received recent promotions.
According to the source, the Nigeria Police Force in August promoted the President’s Chief Personal Security Officer, Usman Shugaba, from deputy commissioner of police to commissioner of police.
Similarly, the State Security Services (SSS) recently elevated the President’s Chief Security Officer, Adegboyega Fasasi, to the rank of director.
The source argued that without a corresponding promotion, Mr. Yusuf would remain subordinate in rank to his police and State Security Service (SSS) counterparts, a situation that could undermine esprit de corps among the presidential security team.
Mr. Yusuf, who was appointed ADC on May 1, 2023, initially held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The NSA’s memo reportedly confirmed that Yusuf will be retained as the ADC despite his new rank.