President Bola Tinubu has approved the promotion of his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, to the rank of brigadier-general, a move that has reportedly sparked murmuring and discontent within the Nigerian Army.
The Independent Mirror reports that in a letter dated 12 December 2025 and addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, conveyed the President’s approval for Mr Yusuf’s elevation.
The promotion has raised eyebrows within military circles because Mr Yusuf was only decorated as a colonel in January 2025, making the latest advancement his second promotion within a 12-month period.
Several officers, including some of his coursemates, are said to have expressed frustration over what they described as an unprecedented fast-tracking of his career, with critics accusing the President of favouritism.
However, a Presidency source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said the promotion was approved to align Mr Yusuf’s rank with those of other senior security officials attached to the Presidential Villa.
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 Service (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 that could undermine esprit de corps among members of the presidential security team.
Mr Yusuf was appointed ADC to President Tinubu on 1 May 2023, about four weeks before the President’s inauguration. At the time of his appointment, he held the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Premium Times.
