There are grumblings within the Nigerian Army following the promotion of Nurudeen Yusuf, Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, to the rank of Brigadier-General.
Some military officers who spoke to journalists described the promotion as unusual, especially under a democratic dispensation.
One officer said that while junior and middle-rank officers can be promoted for exceptional performance, elevating an officer to Brigadier-General by executive approval sets a troubling precedent.
Tinubu approved Yusuf’s promotion in a letter dated December 12, 2025, addressed to Wahid Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff.
The letter, signed by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, conveyed the president’s approval for Yusuf’s elevation.
Yusuf was appointed ADC to Tinubu on May 1, 2023, about four weeks before the president’s inauguration.
He was a Lieutenant-Colonel at the time and was later promoted to the rank of Colonel.
The latest promotion has raised concerns because Yusuf was only decorated as a Colonel in January 2025, making the Brigadier-General rank his second promotion within 12 months.
A military source said the development departs from established tradition in the army.
The source cited past administrations where ADCs to presidents were promoted in line with their course mates and required professional training.
He said during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, ML Abubakar, then ADC to the president, was promoted to Colonel alongside his course mates and later attended statutory courses before elevation.
The source added that similar procedures were followed during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
He said the only exception was during the Abdulsalami Abubakar era, when Abide Aprezi was briefly retained as ADC after being promoted to brigadier-general to conclude the transition programme.
“The Nigerian Army is an institution sustained by tradition, memory, and an unwritten moral code that governs advancement, authority, and respect.
“Promotion to the rank of Brigadier General has, over decades, been one of the clearest expressions of that code. It signifies that an officer has endured the full weight of professional scrutiny, satisfied exacting standards, and earned the confidence of both peers and subordinates through time, sacrifice, and intellectual preparation.
“This tradition is not ornamental. It is the backbone of discipline and the quiet assurance that the system is fair.
Within this framework, the promotion of an officer who reportedly spent only one year in the rank of Colonel and who did not pass through the Army War College or the National Defence College represents a decision of extraordinary institutional risk.
“It is not merely a deviation from precedent, but a rupture with tradition. The immediate effect is not visible in public ceremonies but is felt deeply within messes, command offices, and informal professional spaces where officers measure decisions against the values they have lived by for decades.
“For generations, capable officers have been compulsorily retired or passed over at the Colonel level for failing to meet the stringent requirements for elevation to Brigadier General. Many accepted this outcome with dignity because they trusted the integrity of the system.
“To now elevate an officer who has not met those same benchmarks sends a devastating signal that sacrifice, patience, and professional education are no longer decisive.
“This is how quiet resentment begins. Not rebellion, but grumbling. Not protest, but erosion. Once officers begin to believe that the rules no longer apply equally, the moral fabric of the institution starts to fray,” the source told Daily Trust.
Another source also faulted the procedure of approving the promotion. He said, “A letter from the president conveying his request to the military was passed to the NSA. The NSA passed it directly to the Chief of Army Staff, not to the CDS, not to the Minister of Defence…This is abnormal.”
Military sources said under long-standing army practice, promotion from colonel to brigadier-general requires completion of the senior staff course, attendance at the National Defence College or equivalent, and a minimum of four to five years in rank.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.