DEVELOPMENT
President Tinubu Approves Rapid Promotion of Aide-de-Camp, Nurudeen Yusuf to Brigadier-General, Sparks Discontent Within Nigerian Army Over Unprecedented Career Fast-Tracking
President Bola Tinubu has approved the promotion of his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, to the rank of brigadier-general, a decision that has sparked murmuring and discontent within the Nigerian Army.
In a letter dated 12 December 2025 and addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, conveyed the President’s approval for Mr Yusuf’s elevation, officially communicating the Commander-in-Chief’s decision to the army hierarchy.
The promotion has raised eyebrows within military circles because Mr Yusuf was only decorated as a colonel in January this year, making the latest advancement his second within a 12-month period. Senior officers familiar with army promotion timelines described the development as highly unusual, given the traditionally strict seniority and time-in-rank requirements governing elevation to the rank of 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 and undue influence in the promotion process.
“This beggars belief and defies all logic, someone who was just promoted to colonel this year?” an aggrieved senior officer told reporters
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the Nigerian Army has publicly offered an official explanation for Mr Yusuf’s accelerated promotion, further fuelling speculation and quiet resentment within sections of the military.
However, a Presidency source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, said the President approved the elevation to align Mr Yusuf’s rank with those of other senior security officials attached to the Presidential Villa. The source explained that protocol, hierarchy and operational harmony within the President’s security detail were central considerations in the decision.
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 explained that the police and SSS ranks are considered equivalent to that of a brigadier-general in the Nigerian Army. He added that without a corresponding promotion, Mr Yusuf would have remained subordinate in rank to his counterparts within the Villa’s security architecture, a situation he said could undermine esprit de corps among the presidential security team.
Mr Yusuf was appointed ADC to Mr Tinubu on 1 May 2023, about four weeks before the President’s inauguration. He held the rank of lieutenant-colonel at the time. Since then, his rapid rise through the ranks has continued to attract attention, debate and growing concern within military circles over the implications for morale, seniority and established promotion norms in th
e Nigerian Army.