December 14, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
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 reportedly generated discontent within sections of the Nigerian Army.
The approval was conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, and signed by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The promotion has drawn attention within military circles because Mr Yusuf was only promoted to the rank of colonel in January 2025, making the elevation to brigadier-general his second promotion within a year. Some officers, including reportedly his coursemates, are said to be dissatisfied with what they view as an unusually rapid advancement, raising concerns about fairness and career progression within the service.
An aggrieved senior officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying the development “defies logic,” questioning the speed of the promotion. Neither the Presidency nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official public explanation for the accelerated elevation.
However, a source within the Presidency explained that the decision was influenced by similar promotions within the President’s security team. In August, the Nigeria Police Force promoted the President’s Chief Personal Security Officer, Usman Shugaba, from deputy commissioner of police to commissioner of police, while the Department of State Services (DSS) recently elevated the President’s Chief Security Officer, Adegboyega Fasasi, to the rank of director.
According to the source, these ranks are considered equivalent to that of a brigadier-general in the Nigerian Army. Without a corresponding promotion, Mr Yusuf would have remained junior in rank to his counterparts, a situation the source said could have affected operational cohesion and esprit de corps within the Presidential Villa’s security architecture.
Mr Yusuf was appointed Aide-de-Camp to President Tinubu on May 1, 2023, about four weeks before the President’s inauguration. At the time of his appointment, he held the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
