Plans to promote Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp to President Bola Tinubu, to the rank of brigadier general were shelved at the last minute on Monday evening following strong opposition within the military hierarchy.
According to The Cable, the promotion, described as a special presidential advancement, would have elevated Yusuf to a one star general barely a year after he was decorated as a colonel.
The move was said to have generated deep unease within the armed forces because it bypassed established procedures.
The Cable further reported that, under standard military practice, an officer must serve as a colonel for at least four years and attend the National Defence College before being considered for promotion to brigadier general.
Approval for the accelerated promotion 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, and stated that Yusuf would retain his role as the president’s ADC despite the proposed promotion.
The development reportedly caused further disquiet within the military, as no officer of brigadier general rank has previously served as ADC to a Nigerian president.
Ahead of the planned decoration, the minister of defence, Chris Musa, a retired general, and the chief of army staff, Waidi Shaibu, a serving lieutenant general, were said to have cut short an official visit to Lagos State and returned to Abuja.
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Two highly respected former chiefs of army staff were eventually able to persuade President Tinubu to halt the promotion, citing concerns about the potential damage such a move could cause to the military establishment.
A presidential source disclosed that the promotion would not take place “anytime soon”, adding that senior military figures viewed it as a dangerous precedent.
Yusuf has previously been accused by some military insiders of wielding undue influence over postings and promotions due to his proximity to the president.
In January 2025, President Tinubu decorated Yusuf with the rank of colonel following his promotion in December 2024. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Yusuf was appointed ADC to Tinubu in April 2023, when he was still a lieutenant colonel, about a 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, however, expected to fully assume his traditional role only after retiring from the military.
