A controversial plan to promote Nurudeen Yusuf, the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, to the rank of brigadier-general was reportedly shelved at the last minute or reversed following significant intervention from senior retired military officers, including two former Chiefs of Army Staff. This proposed "special presidential promotion" had sparked widespread disquiet and criticism within Nigeria's military establishment due to its unprecedented nature and potential implications for military discipline and morale.

Colonel Yusuf was only decorated with the rank of colonel in January 2025, having been promoted in December 2024. His proposed elevation to brigadier-general, scheduled for a quiet ceremony on a recent Monday evening, would have been his second promotion within 12 months. This rapid advancement stands in stark contrast to the established Nigerian Army procedures, which typically require an officer to serve as a colonel for at least four years and complete mandatory senior military education, often at the National Defence College (NDC) or NIPSS, Kuru, before being considered for brigadier-general.

The approval for this unusual promotion was conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), signed by Nuhu Ribadu, to the Chief of Army Staff. The letter also indicated that Yusuf would be retained as the president's ADC despite the promotion. Military sources noted that no brigadier-general has ever served as ADC to a sitting Nigerian President, further deepening unease within the Army hierarchy.

Presidency sources suggested that the president had approved the elevation to align Yusuf's rank with those of other senior security officials attached to the Presidential Villa. For instance, the president's Chief Personal Security Officer, Usman Shugaba, was promoted to Commissioner of Police in August, and the State Security Services (SSS) recently elevated the president’s Chief Security Officer, Adegboyega Fasasi, to the rank of director. These police and SSS ranks are considered equivalent to that of a brigadier-general in the Nigerian Army.

Ahead of the planned decoration, both the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retired), and the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, reportedly cut short their official visit to Lagos state and returned to Abuja. Ultimately, it was the decisive intervention of two highly respected former Army Chiefs that persuaded President Tinubu to suspend or cancel the promotion, with a presidency source confirming it "would not happen anytime soon."

Military experts had warned that such a fast-tracked promotion would set a "bad precedent," eroding the belief in meritocracy essential for military cohesion. Complaints also emerged regarding Yusuf's alleged undue influence in the promotion and retention of other military officers due to his proximity to the president. Critics widely accused the president of favoritism. The episode has reopened a sensitive debate within Nigeria’s security establishment concerning the balance between presidential prerogative and established military procedures, particularly at the general officer level where such elevations can disrupt seniority structures and affect morale.

This development coincided with a closed-door meeting President Tinubu held on the same Monday with Nigeria’s Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting, which followed the public presentation of a book, addressed mounting internal and regional security concerns, including worsening insecurity and Nigeria’s expanding regional security obligations. Officials present declined to brief journalists, leaving outcomes and possible decisions to speculation.

Nurudeen Yusuf, who was appointed ADC to Tinubu in April or May 2023 when he was a lieutenant-colonel, was also crowned as the monarch of Ilemona land in Oyun LGA of Kwara state in July 2024. He is expected to fully assume this traditional role upon his retirement from the military.