When Rank Become Reward: Why “Special Promotion Of President’s ADC” Threatens Professionalism, Risks Politicisation Of Nigerian Military

• As President Tinubu promotes Colonel Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf to the rank of Brigadier-General and retention as ADC to the Commander-in-Chief

Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd)

Since yesterday, a document currently circulating within military circles—bearing the letterhead of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and marked “CONFIDENTIAL” – has triggered intense debate and condemnation among serving and retired officers, not because of any personal grudge against an individual officer, but because of what it represents for the future of military professionalism in Nigeria. I had refrained from posting on this for some 48 hours hoping the letter is fake news ..like many other officers, because of the incredulity and incredibility of the contents. We were hoping against hope that the letter was fake news but alas….nothing so far suggest the letter is fake.  

WHAT THE CIRCULATING LETTER SAYS  (the key issue)

The letter (dated 12 December 2025 on the circulating copy) is addressed to the Chief of Army Staff and titled:

“Forwarding of approval of Special Presidential Promotion and retention as Aide-de-Camp…”  It states in clear terms that it is conveying Mr President’s approval of a “Special Presidential Promotion” of Colonel Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf to the rank of Brigadier-General, and retention as ADC to the Commander-in-Chief, with effect from 12 December 2025.

Whether or not every detail in the viral copy is fully authentic, the public and institutional damage arises the moment such a document appears plausible—because it suggests that rank may be awarded by political proximity rather than professional process.

WHY  THE UPROAR: : PROMOTIONS ARE THE SPINE OF MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM 

In every serious military system, promotions are not “favours.” They are the central mechanism for:

a. Rewarding merit and competence,

b. Maintaining fairness among peers,

c. Sustaining morale,

and d. ensuring that command authority is respected.

When officers believe promotions are political, three things happen immediately:

a. Morale collapses,

b. Professionalism weakens,

c. Cohesion fractures—and an armed force without cohesion is a national security risk.

HOW OFFICER PROMOTION SHOULD WORK IN NIGERIA. 

Under established Nigerian military practice and regulations, promotion to senior ranks is typically anchored on cumulative criteria such as:

a. Time-in-rank (for Colonel to Brigadier-General, commonly 4–5 years is expected)

b. Professional Military Education (PME) — completion/passing of War College/Defence College or prescribed equivalents

c. Strong Annual Performance Evaluation Reports (APERs) over time

d. Consideration and recommendation by a Promotion Board , and finally, 

d. Competition with peers for limited vacancies/establishment ceilings (you don’t promote everyone; you select the best within available slots)

This is the “merit + time + training + board + vacancies” model that keeps the system fair.

WHY THIS PARTICULAR CASE IS SO SENSITIVE 

Publicly available information  indicate that  Col. Yusuf was promoted to Colonel in December 2024 and decorated in January 2025, this same year, meaning he is under one year in rank as a Colonel. Ordinarily, he should be due for promotion in 2029 or 2028 at the earliest (if he meets all other criteria I mentioned) . If he is now promoted to Brigadier-General through a “special” route, then every normal gate appears waived at once—time-in-rank, board competition, and the predictable career pipeline. 

That has two serious consequences:

1) It overtakes peers and leaps over 4 sets of his seniors

An accelerated promotion of this nature would mean:

mates are overtaken, including those who may currently be in difficult operational postings,

and multiple senior cohorts are jumped, which is a direct recipe for bitterness and institutional resentment.

2) It sends a corrosive message

The implied message becomes: “The fastest route to the next rank is not performance or sacrifice; it is proximity to political power.” 

It also implies Col Yusuf sitting in his comfortable office in the presidency (with all the attendant privileges )  is more worthy of an accelerated promotion than his peers and even seniors fighting Boko Haram and Bandits in the north west.  It encourages military officers to scheme for and cling to non-operational postings which leads to some officers becoming “Permanent ADCs” never to go near the battle front and still get promoted ahead of battle weary officers.  

That is how professional militaries begin to rot—quietly, from inside.

THE CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER : : politicising promotions turns the military into a political marketplace. Once promotions are perceived to be political rewards, officers rationally begin to:

a. lobby politicians instead of outperforming peers,

b. seek postings near power centres rather than hard commands,

c. trade professionalism for patronage,

and d. treat the chain of command as secondary to “connections.”

I must warn, that is not theory. It is how many states slide into factional armed forces, weakened discipline, and politicised command decisions.

Nigeria has paid too high a historical price for politicised soldiering to re-open that door.

SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL PROMOTION IS THIS THE FIRST TIME ? IS IT DONE IN OTHER MILITARIES/COUNTRIES?  

True, apart from the accelerated promotions during and our unfortunate Civil War and purges after military coups in the 70s, we got rid of that specter for a long time until during late PMB again due to pressure from same ONSA that we had such ridiculous requests . In one particular case a military officer who smuggled himself into the office of the Comptroller General of Customs dealing with seized cars asked for special promotion to Major General . Having said that I am  never employ whataboutism to excuse something wrong because an earlier government has done it. For the avoidance of doubt, THERE IS NO PROVISION ANYEHWERE IN NIGERIAN MILITARY EXTANT REGULATIONS that legalizes Special Promotion either by President or by any other person. The only pathway to promotion for nay officer is the one I had  painted. Special promotion is illegal.  

DO OTHER COUNTRIES OTHER MILITYARIES DO SPECIAL PROMOTION? 

The direct answer is YES  , but those  other countries taht  do accelerated promotions” — have  guardrails that prevent abuse. 

In many modern militaries, exceptional or accelerated promotion exists, but it is never pure personal discretion of the President Indeed the request never comes from the President it comes form the military itself for the President to approve . It is law-based, board-driven, and procedurally constrained.

UNITED STATES 

In the United States, promotions are governed by Title 10 U.S. Code and systems created by DOPMA. Even where discretion exists, the President cannot invent a promotion out of thin air. Promotions flow from mandatory promotion(toggle) boards, and senior ranks require Senate confirmation.  Safeguards include  boards, legal minimums, Congressional oversight, confirmation requirements.

UNITED KINGDOM 

Exceptional promotions exist but are tightly regulated under the Armed Forces Act and Defence Council Instructions. Political leadership does not personally “pick” officers for rank.

 Safeguards include  independent selection boards, Defence Council concurrence, judicial review norms.

FRANCE 

“Avancement exceptionnel” exists under the Code de la Défense, but it still follows formal ministerial/decree processes and statutory conditions.  Safeguards include : ministry vetting, statutory eligibility, formal decree process, administrative law oversight.

CANADA

Merit/operational necessity pathways still rely on selection boards and institutional oversight.  Safeguards include  boards, CDS approval, grievance mechanisms.

BOTTOM LINE : In serious systems, “exceptional promotion” is never a casual political reward. It is a rare, regulated tool with transparent constraints. It is based in law. Requests do not originate from President but rather from the military itself.

SUMMARY 

For the avoidance of any doubt,  in all extant AFN regulations or laws relating to promotion in the AFN there is no provision whatsoever on “special promotion ” . The only legal  pathways to promotion for any personnel Officer or NCO are 1. Time on rank. 2. Passing of prescribed course or Promotion exams (where applicable)3.  Positive APER 4. Only after satisfying those 3…then consideration by promotion board to battle it out with peers for available slots. Any other pathway is manifestly illegal and further politicizes our military while lowering the morale  of others toiling in the field. A situation where an ADC sitting in a cushy office is rated higher and more deserving of accelerated promotion more than his mates and even seniors  fighting in the frontlines is unfortunate. 

It’s this phenomenon that leads to some officers becoming almost permanent ADCs , MAs or staff in ONSA. In our feeble voices, we continue to advocate against such abuses . Mr President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been poorly advised on this. Integrity demands that the new Minister of Defence, the CDS, and the Service Chiefs explain to President  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that this is wrong (I wrote about Principled Dissent yesterday) . Meanwhile , there is a lot that Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria can do Under Section 218 to legislate on officers promotion and prevent abuse, unilateral presidential action and plunging our military into politics.

Finally I digress a bit but still on the NSA letter.  A letter from President conveying his request to the military,  was passed to the NSA. The NSA passed it directly to Chief of Army Staff, not to the CDS not to the Minister of Defence. ….Unless this sidelining of Minister of Defence changes, even General Patton or Gen Adekunle Black Scorpion would struggle as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence.

Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd) is a Security & Defence Analyst/Conflict Security & Development Consult Ltd