- Tinubu shelved plans to promote his ADC to brigadier general.
- Former army chiefs warned the move could harm military structure.
- Concerns were raised over bypassing established promotion rules.
Plans to decorate Nurudeen Yusuf, aide de camp to President Bola Tinubu, as a one star general were shelved on Monday evening following the intervention of two former Chiefs of Army Staff.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Yusuf, who was only promoted to the rank of colonel in January 2025, was billed to be elevated to brigadier general through what sources described as a special presidential promotion.
Under established military procedures, an officer must serve for a minimum of four years as a colonel and attend the National Defence College before being considered for promotion to brigadier general.
However, approval to bypass this process was reportedly conveyed in a letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser to the Chief of Army Staff.
The leaked letter, dated December 12, 2025, was signed by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
In the letter, Ribadu stated that Yusuf would retain his position as the President’s aide de camp despite the proposed promotion.
No brigadier general has previously served as aide de camp to a sitting Nigerian President, a development that reportedly caused unease within the military hierarchy.
Ahead of the planned decoration ceremony on Monday, the Minister of Defence, Chris Musa, a retired general, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, were said to have cut short their visit to Lagos State and returned to Abuja.
Sources told TheCable that two highly respected former army chiefs later persuaded President Tinubu to shelve the plan, warning that it could pose serious risks to the military institution.
A presidential source said the promotion would not happen “anytime soon.”
Military experts were said to have raised concerns that such a move could set a bad precedent within the armed forces and undermine established promotion structures.
Yusuf has previously faced allegations of wielding undue influence over the promotion and retention of military officers due to his closeness to the President.
“He got the president to sign a memo for the promotion of officers who were due for retirement after failing three times as specified by their rules,” a military source told TheCable.
The source added, “When the president was told of the implications regarding the rule, he withdrew the memo but nonetheless asked that the officers be allowed to remain in service, citing the emergency he had just declared. They are still in service, I understand.”
In January 2025, President Tinubu promoted Yusuf to the rank of colonel during a ceremony held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Yusuf was appointed aide de camp to Tinubu in April 2023 while still a lieutenant colonel, about one month before Tinubu’s inauguration as President.
In July 2024, Yusuf was crowned monarch of Ilemona land in Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State. He is expected to formally assume the traditional role upon retirement from the Nigerian Army.
