General News
TINUBU’S AIDE-DE-CAMP’S RAPID PROMOTION TO BRIGADIER GENERAL REVERSED AFTER MILITARY BACKLASH
The reported rapid promotion of Colonel Nurudeen Yusuf, President Bola Tinubu’s aide-de-camp, to the rank of Brigadier General has been reversed following significant internal military objections. Sources confirm that the special presidential promotion, which bypassed standard procedures, has been canceled after interventions from senior military figures.
Colonel Yusuf, decorated as a colonel only in January 2025, was set for elevation to brigadier-general through a “special presidential promotion.” Under normal military regulations, an officer must serve as a colonel for at least four years and attend the National Defence College before being considered for promotion. The approval to bypass this process was conveyed in a leaked letter dated December 12, 2025, from the office of the National Security Advisor, Nuhu Ribadu, to the Chief of Army Staff. In the letter, Ribadu stated, “Yusuf will be retained as the president’s ADC despite the promotion.” This planned move caused disquiet, as no brigadier-general has ever served as ADC to a Nigerian president.
Ahead of the planned decoration ceremony on Monday, the Minister of Defence, Chris Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, cut short a visit to Lagos to return to the federal capital. Reports indicate that two highly respected former army chiefs successfully persuaded President Tinubu to shelve the plan due to its potential dangers to military discipline and morale. “There had been complaints by military experts that this was going to be a ‘bad precedent’,” a source noted. Consequently, the promotion has been canceled.
Yusuf has previously been accused of wielding undue influence in military promotions and retirements due to his closeness to the president. A military source revealed, “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 the 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.”
Colonel Yusuf was appointed as Tinubu’s ADC in April 2023 while still a lieutenant colonel, a month before Tinubu’s inauguration. He was crowned as the monarch of Ilemona land in Kwara State in July 2024 but is expected to fully assume the traditional role only upon his retirement from the military.
A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has adjourned the hearing of the bail application of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to March 31, 2026, following his arraignment on alleged corruption-related charges.
El-Rufai was on Tuesday brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and arraigned before Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa.
During the proceedings, the former governor was docked on one count out of a 10-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency. The charge, according to his counsel, Ubong Akpan, relates to alleged deposits into a domiciliary account and the monetisation of earnings.
El-Rufai was arraigned alongside a co-defendant, Joel Adoga.
Despite pending applications earlier filed before the court, Justice Aikawa proceeded with the arraignment and subsequently adjourned the matter to March 31 to consider all outstanding applications, including the bail request.
No bail application was moved or granted during Tuesday’s session.
Speaking to journalists after the court sitting, Akpan maintained that there was nothing unusual about the proceedings, adding that the defence team was yet to be served with processes relating to other potential charges.
The case is expected to resume on the adjourned date for hearing of the bail application and other pending matters.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has introduced an urgent, coordinated strategy to safeguard food security across West Africa and the Sahel, as global economic disruptions and rising oil prices continue to threaten agricultural production.
The decision followed an extraordinary virtual meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Agriculture held on March 23, 2026, where regional leaders assessed the growing risks to food systems.
The high-level meeting, convened by the ECOWAS Commission through its Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture under Commissioner Kalilou Sylla, brought together key regional institutions, development partners, and financial stakeholders.
Participants—including representatives from the West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel—reviewed the impact of rising fertiliser costs, driven by global market volatility and increasing energy prices, on agricultural productivity across the region.
Deliberations resulted in the adoption of a medium- to long-term operational framework aimed at strengthening food sovereignty and building resilience within regional food systems.
Key measures outlined in the plan include the immediate establishment of regional agreements to secure strategic fertiliser supplies, as well as the creation of emergency reserves to cushion the effects of future price shocks.
The ministers also approved the introduction of liquidity swap mechanisms through central banks to address foreign exchange constraints faced by importers—an intervention expected to improve access to critical agricultural inputs.
“Our collective response underscores the urgency of safeguarding food security in the face of external shocks,” Sylla said, noting that enhanced regional coordination and targeted interventions would help sustain agricultural production and protect vulnerable populations.
The initiative highlights ECOWAS’ commitment to deepening regional cooperation and implementing sustainable solutions to emerging threats to food security across West Africa and the Sahel.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday paid a Sallah homage to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos.
The visit formed part of activities marking the Sallah celebrations, as top government officials and political leaders paid courtesy calls to the President.
During the meeting, President Tinubu also received members of the Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council, a key political body in Lagos State.
Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council
The engagements provided an opportunity for discussions on national issues and strengthened ties between the executive and legislative arms of government.
The Sallah homage is a long-standing tradition in Nigeria, where political leaders and stakeholders visit the President and other top officials during major Islamic festivities.