President Bola Tinubu has sanctioned the promotion of his Aide-de-Camp, Nurudeen Yusuf, to the rank of brigadier-general.
This decision, it was gathered, has sparked quiet unease and criticism within the Nigerian Army. The promotion, which has drawn attention due to its speed, is said to have unsettled some serving officers.
The approval was formally communicated through a letter dated December 12, 2025, written by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu.
Concerns within military circles stem from the fact that Yusuf was only promoted to the rank of colonel in January this year, making the brigadier-general elevation his second promotion in less than one year.
Several officers, including some believed to be his coursemates, are dissatisfied, describing the advancement as unusually rapid and suggesting it reflects preferential treatment.
“This beggars belief and defies all logic,” an aggrieved senior officer said.
“Someone who was just promoted to colonel this year?”
As of the time of reporting, neither the Presidency nor the Nigerian Army has issued a formal statement explaining the rationale behind the accelerated promotion.
However, a source within the Presidency explained that similar advancements had recently been approved for other senior members of the President’s security detail.
According to the source, 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 Services recently elevated the President’s Chief Security Officer, Adegboyega Fasasi, to the rank of director.
The source noted that the police and SSS ranks are considered equivalent to that of a brigadier-general in the Nigerian Army. Without a corresponding promotion, Yusuf would have remained junior in rank to his counterparts, a situation that could have affected operational harmony and morale within the President’s security team.
Yusuf was appointed as Aide-de-Camp to President Tinubu on May 1, 2023, just weeks before the President’s inauguration. At the time, he held the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
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