Controversial promotion: Tinubu suspends ADC’s new rank decoration

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the decoration of Nurudeen Yusuf, the aide-de-camp (ADC) to the President, with his new rank of brigadier-general, following public outcry over his controversial promotion.

BusinessDay gathered from reliable presidential sources at the State House, Abuja that Yusuf’s decoration, which was scheduled for Monday evening, was shelved at the last minute after the intervention of two former chiefs of army staff.

The decoration was cancelled at the eleventh hour following the intervention of top retired military officers.

Chris Musa, the Minister of Defence, and Waidi Shaibu, the Chief of Army Staff, who were with Vice President Kashim Shettima at an event in Lagos, reportedly cut short their visit to attend the decoration, which eventually did not hold.

Recall that Yusuf, who was promoted to the rank of colonel in late 2024 and decorated in January this year, was due for elevation to the rank of brigadier-general through a “special presidential promotion.”

The promotion sparked widespread outrage, with security experts arguing that it was improper for an officer to receive such an elevation in less than one year.

Sources familiar with the military promotion and rewards system said it typically takes about four years for a colonel to rise to the rank of brigadier-general (one-star general) in the Nigerian Army.

Yusuf, a member of Course 52, would, by the promotion, have jumped ahead of several senior officers, as the approval allegedly bypassed the regular process and instead originated from a letter transmitted through the office of the National Security Adviser to the Chief of Army Staff.

The leaked letter, dated December 12, 2025, was signed by Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser. In the letter, Ribadu stated that Yusuf would be retained as the President’s ADC despite the promotion.

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It was also gathered that no new date has been fixed for the decoration.

The decision to retain Yusuf as ADC to the President after the promotion also generated public backlash, as no Nigerian President has ever had a brigadier-general serving as aide-de-camp.

“They advised that such action would further fuel divisions in the military and cause bad blood.

“He hasn’t met the requirements for the new rank and it would have been inappropriate for the President to take such action,” our source stated.

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