President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the special presidential promotion of his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, from the rank of Colonel to Brigadier-General, a decision that has generated controversy within the Nigerian Army.

The approval was conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Wahid Shaibu. The promotion has reportedly caused disquiet among senior military officers, many of whom view the move as a departure from established promotion procedures.

Concerns stem largely from the fact that the elevation marks Yusuf’s second promotion within a 12-month period. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel in December 2024 and decorated in January 2025, before being elevated to Brigadier-General in December 2025.

Under existing army regulations, officers are typically required to spend between four and five years in the rank of Colonel and fulfill key professional requirements, including completion of courses at the War College or the National Defence College, before qualifying for promotion to Brigadier-General.

Several officers, including some of Yusuf’s coursemates, were said to have expressed frustration over what they described as an unprecedented acceleration of his career. Critics have accused the President of favouritism, with one aggrieved senior officer quoted as saying, “This beggars belief and defies all logic. Someone who was just promoted to colonel this year?”

Neither the Presidency nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official public statement on the matter. However, a Presidency source, who spoke anonymously, defended the decision, explaining that the promotion was necessary to maintain command hierarchy within the Presidential Villa’s security structure.

According to the source, other senior security officials attached to the Villa have recently received promotions. The Nigeria Police Force promoted the President’s Chief Personal Security Officer, Usman Shugaba, from Deputy Commissioner of Police to Commissioner of Police in August, while the State Security Service (SSS) elevated the President’s Chief Security Officer, Adegboyega Fasasi, to the rank of Director.

The source argued that without a corresponding promotion, Yusuf would remain junior in rank to his police and SSS counterparts, a situation that could undermine esprit de corps within the presidential security team.

Yusuf, who was appointed ADC on May 1, 2023, initially held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The NSA’s memo reportedly confirmed that he will retain his position as ADC despite his new rank of Brigadier-General.