A letter dated 12 December 2025, addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, conveyed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu’s, approval of Yusuf’s elevation.
By Titilope Adako
President Bola Tinubu’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), Nurudeen Yusuf, has been promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, sparking controversy and discontent within the Nigerian Army.
A letter dated 12 December 2025, addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Wahid Shaibu, conveyed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu’s, approval of Yusuf’s elevation.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Nigerians, with many questioning its adherence to military tradition.
Muhammad Bello Buhari slammed the promotion, arguing that the elevation of a Colonel to Brigadier-General typically requires five years at the rank of Colonel and completion of the War College, the National Defence College, or an equivalent institution—criteria Col. Yusuf has not met.
He said, “As a 52 Regular Course officer, this promotion places him senior to officers of the 50 Regular Course who have completed both colleges and are legitimately awaiting promotion. From 1960 to date, no President’s ADC has enjoyed such an exception.”
Buhari recalled that the late President Buhari’s first ADC, Col. M.L. Abubakar (now Brigadier-General), had to leave his ADC appointment to attend the National Defence College before he could be promoted, remaining a Colonel for five years in line with Armed Forces rules.
He added, “Today, we have an officer who spent barely a year as a Colonel, has not met professional requirements, yet has been elevated to Brigadier-General—and still retained to continue performing ADC duties, an arrangement absolutely alien to military tradition.”
Buhari also alleged that similar irregularities are occurring elsewhere in the presidency. He pointed out that the Chief Personal Security Officer to the President, CP Usman Shugaba, has reportedly received three accelerated promotions in the Police, leapfrogging peers purely due to proximity to power.
He said such practices may exist in the Police but are alien to the military, where structure, seniority, and professionalism are sacrosanct. Buhari added, “It is therefore not surprising that the conveying letter reportedly came from the office of the NSA a retired police officer—effectively importing police disorder into the military institution.”
Buhari accused President Tinubu of governing by favouritism, steadily converting proximity to power into a substitute for merit.
He emphasised, “The real concern is not the individuals. It’s the message being sent to the rank and file: the silent demoralisation of officers who played by the rules, the corrosion of trust within the ranks. Privilege overtaking process and proximity replacing professionalism slowly erodes institutions. This is just one case among many.”
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