A plan to elevate Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, to the rank of brigadier-general was shelved at the last minute on Monday evening following high-level intervention by two former chiefs of army staff.

Yusuf, who was only decorated as a colonel in January 2025 after his promotion in December 2024, was slated to receive a one-star general rank through what was described as a “special presidential promotion.”

Under established military procedures, an officer must serve as a colonel for a minimum of four years and attend the National Defence College (NDC) before being considered for promotion to brigadier-general. The proposed elevation would have bypassed this process.

Approval for the exceptional promotion was reportedly conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2025, from the office of the national security adviser to the chief of army staff. The letter, signed by NSA Nuhu Ribadu, also indicated that Yusuf would retain his position as the president’s ADC despite the promotion.

The move generated unease within the military hierarchy, as no brigadier-general has ever served as ADC to a Nigerian president.

Ahead of the planned decoration, the minister of defence, retired General Chris Musa, and the chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, reportedly cut short an official visit to Lagos State and returned to Abuja.

Ultimately, two highly respected former army chiefs are said to have persuaded President Tinubu to halt the promotion, citing the potential damage it could cause to military structure, discipline, and morale. A presidential source confirmed that the promotion would not proceed “anytime soon.”

Military analysts and experts had raised concerns that the move would set a dangerous precedent, warning of serious consequences for professionalism within the armed forces.

Yusuf has previously been accused by some military sources of exerting undue influence over promotions and service extensions due to his proximity to the president. One source alleged that he had facilitated the approval of a memo promoting officers who were due for retirement after failing required promotion examinations multiple times. Although the memo was later withdrawn after the president was briefed on its implications, the officers were reportedly allowed to remain in service due to a declared emergency.

Yusuf was appointed ADC to Tinubu in April 2023, when he was a lieutenant colonel, about a month before the president’s inauguration. In July 2024, he was also crowned monarch of Ilemona land in Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State, a role he is expected to fully assume after retiring from military service. /First reported by The Cable