Plans to decorate Nurudeen Yusuf, aide-de-camp (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu, as a brigadier-general were shelved on Monday evening following last-minute interventions by two former chiefs of army staff, according to sources familiar with the development.
Yusuf, who was only promoted to the rank of colonel in January, was reportedly slated for elevation to the one-star general rank through what was described as a “special presidential promotion,” a move that sparked unease within the military hierarchy.
Under established military procedures, an officer is expected to serve as a colonel for at least four years and attend the National Defence College (NDC) before being considered for promotion to brigadier-general. The proposed promotion was said to bypass these requirements, with approval allegedly conveyed in a letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser to the Chief of Army Staff.
The plan also raised eyebrows because no brigadier-general has historically served as ADC to a Nigerian president, further fuelling concerns within the military establishment.
Ahead of the scheduled decoration on Monday, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu reportedly cut short an official visit to Lagos State and returned to Abuja amid growing controversy over the matter.
Sources said the intervention of two highly respected former army chiefs ultimately persuaded President Tinubu to put the plan on hold, citing potential risks to military discipline and institutional stability. A presidential source confirmed that the promotion would not proceed “anytime soon.”
