Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubunwill not be promoted to one-star general, findings have emerged.
The promotion, which would have elevated Yusuf from colonel to brigadier-general via a “special presidential promotion”, was shelved at the last minute.
An exclusive report by TheCable revealed that the decision followed interventions by two former chiefs of army staff who expressed concern about the potential implications for the military hierarchy.
Yusuf was only decorated as a colonel in January 2025, barely a year after his promotion in December 2024.
Under the normal process, an officer must serve as a colonel for at least four years and attend the National Defence College (NDC) before consideration for a higher rank.
Approval to bypass this process had been communicated in a letter from the office of the national security adviser (NSA) to the chief of army staff.
The leaked letter, dated 12 December 2025 and signed by Nuhu Ribadu, NSA, stated that Yusuf would continue as the president’s ADC despite the proposed promotion.
No brigadier has ever served as ADC to the president, a factor that caused unrest within the military establishment.
Ahead of the planned ceremony, Chris Musa, minister of defence and a retired general, along with chief of army staff Waidi Shaibu, lieutenant general, were said to have cut short a visit to Lagos state to return to Abuja.
The report quoted military sources as saying the former army chiefs successfully convinced Tinubu to halt the promotion to prevent setting a “bad precedent”.
A presidential source told the newspaper that the promotion “is not going to happen anytime soon”.
Yusuf has previously been accused of influencing the promotion and retention of military officers due to his closeness to the president.
“He got the president to sign a memo for the promotion of officers who were due for retirement after failing three times as specified by their rules.
“When the president was told of the implications regarding rule, he withdrew the memo but nonetheless asked that the officers be allowed to remain in service, citing the emergency he just declared. They are still in service, I understand,” a military source said.
Yusuf was appointed ADC to Tinubu in April 2023, a month before the president’s inauguration.
He was crowned as the monarch of Ilemona land in Oyun LGA, Kwara state, in July 2024, but is expected to fully assume traditional responsibilities after retiring from the military.
