President Bola Tinubu has reportedly suspended plans to grant an extraordinary promotion to his Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, following interventions from senior retired military officers, including two former Chiefs of Army Staff.
Yusuf was reportedly slated for elevation to the rank of brigadier general just a year after his promotion to colonel in December 2024, with the ceremony allegedly scheduled for Monday evening. However, the plan was shelved at the last minute amid concerns over its implications for military discipline, seniority, and morale within the Nigerian Army.
Under established Army procedures, promotion to the rank of brigadier-general is highly competitive. Officers are typically required to spend a minimum of four years as colonel, complete senior-level military education at institutions such as the National Defence College or the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, and pass rigorous promotion boards that assess service records, command experience, and available vacancies. The proposed fast-tracking of Yusuf’s promotion was widely viewed as a significant departure from these norms.
A leaked letter dated December 12, 2025, from the Office of the National Security Adviser, reportedly signed by Nuhu Ribadu, indicated that Yusuf would remain in his role as the President’s ADC despite the proposed promotion.
Sources also noted that no brigadier general has previously served as ADC to a sitting Nigerian President, further heightening unease within the military hierarchy.
In the hours preceding the planned ceremony, the Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (retd.), and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, were reportedly forced to cut short an official trip to Lagos and return to Abuja.
Ultimately, the intervention of two highly respected former Army Chiefs is said to have convinced the President to suspend the promotion. A source within the Presidency confirmed that the elevation “would not happen anytime soon.”
The development coincided with a closed-door meeting between President Tinubu and Nigeria’s Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, held amid growing internal and regional security challenges.
The meeting took place shortly after the President attended a book presentation at the State House Conference Centre and marked his first formal engagement with the full military high command since General Musa’s appointment as Defence Minister on December 4, a move seen as part of broader efforts to realign Nigeria’s defence and security strategy.
Although details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, it occurred against the backdrop of worsening insecurity across the country, including the continued captivity of 115 students abducted from a Catholic boarding school in November.
On November 26, Tinubu had declared a national security emergency, ordering fresh recruitment into security agencies and directing the redeployment of police personnel attached to private individuals back to core policing duties.
The discussions at Aso Rock also followed Senate approval for the deployment of Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin after a recent attempted coup, underscoring Nigeria’s expanding regional security responsibilities.
Reports indicate that the meeting addressed internal security operations, intelligence coordination, border security, counterterrorism efforts, and Nigeria’s role in promoting regional stability.
