By Anthony Kolawole

In a decisive step to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic security architecture, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently appointed Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa (Retd) as the pioneer Special Adviser on Homeland Security. This new federal office represents a pragmatic and forward-looking response to the country’s evolving threats.

Homeland Security, as a concept, refers to a coordinated system of domestic agencies that work closely with international partners to share intelligence, harmonise responses, secure national borders, protect trade routes, and defend cyberspace.

In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains one of the most expansive global networks, deploying personnel across more than seventy-five countries. Similarly, the Schengen Information System links law enforcement agencies throughout the European Union, while NATO’s Civil Emergency Planning Directorate coordinates collective responses to disasters and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats among member and partner nations.

These frameworks have recorded notable successes through effective synergy and proactive measures. The U.S. Container Security Initiative, for example, enables the prescreening of high-risk containers at overseas ports in over fifty locations before they reach American shores, drastically reducing the risk of weapons and explosives infiltrating global supply chains.

Complementing this are initiatives such as the C-TPAT programme, which has certified over 10,200 partners worldwide, compelling private companies to adopt stringent security standards. This has been reinforced by more than 19,300 on-site evaluations, strengthening international trade security without impeding the flow of legitimate commerce.

Beyond cargo protection, the U.S. Secret Service operates cyber units supported by over twenty attaché offices in more than 18 countries. In 2021, strategic multinational collaboration between Dutch police and Europol led to the dismantling of major ransomware gangs responsible for attacking 1,800 victims across 71 countries, preventing over $2 billion in potential cyber financial losses annually.

These agencies have also advanced aviation security, resolved missing persons cases, tracked fugitives, and developed interoperable action plans for CBRN threats across NATO’s 46 member and partner countries, with real-time crisis monitoring through the NATO Situation Centre.

President Tinubu’s creation of the Office of the Special Adviser on Homeland Security and the appointment of Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa (Retd) send a clear and unambiguous signal: Nigeria cannot confront 21st-century security challenges using outdated 20th-century command-and-control structures.

Threats such as banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, cyber-attacks, and organised crime demand integrated, intelligence-driven solutions rather than fragmented efforts by siloed agencies often working at cross purposes. Major General Adeyinka Famadewa is exceptionally well-qualified for this historic role.

A highly decorated officer with over 30 years of distinguished service in the military and intelligence community, his career is marked by deep expertise in intelligence fusion, institutional reform, and national security strategy. Between 2015 and 2021, as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Intelligence Fusion Centre at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

This centre successfully integrated the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, and the Armed Forces, creating a unified platform for joint threat assessment and coordinated response. In addition to his operational experience, General Famadewa has made significant intellectual contributions to security discourse. He authored the influential monograph Policing and National Security in Nigeria, which provides practical frameworks for civil-security collaboration.

As a Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, he has actively engaged in high-level discussions on policing reforms, civil-military cooperation, and broader security sector transformation. His work consistently diagnoses the critical breakdowns in Nigeria’s intelligence cycle — from collection and analysis to timely action — and proposes actionable remedies.

General Famadewa’s strategic approach rests firmly on a tripod of principles: intelligence fusion, inter-agency coordination, and inclusive civil-security partnerships. He strongly advocates moving beyond fragmentation toward a unified “one threat picture, one response plan” model that bridges gaps between the Army, Police, DSS, NIA, and other stakeholders.

This vision champions a shift from reactive, brute-force deployments to proactive, intelligence-led operations. It emphasises enhancing civil-security cooperation, police reform, community policing, and trust-building initiatives that position ordinary citizens as active participants in national security rather than passive observers.

These ideas align closely with post-9/11 homeland security doctrines adopted by the United States and the United Kingdom, which successfully integrated civilian and military agencies for more holistic threat management.

At a moment when insecurity continues to challenge various regions of the country, and amid growing public demand for better coordination amid rising misinformation and daily security incidents, the establishment of this dedicated office within the Presidency elevates homeland security to a cabinet-level priority. Importantly, it complements rather than duplicates the National Security Adviser’s mandate on external threats.

This is no mere political or experimental gesture. General Famadewa’s intimate knowledge of Nigeria’s security architecture — its people, processes, strengths, and persistent failure points — positions him ideally to scale successful coordination mechanisms nationally. His appointment reflects President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and a genuine commitment to restoring public confidence in the government’s capacity to safeguard lives and property.

By moving Nigeria from ad-hoc crisis responses to an institutionalised, proactive risk management system, President Tinubu has once again shown pragmatic and transformational leadership. Viewed through the President’s clear lens, the appointment of Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa (Retd) as Special Adviser on Homeland Security represents a bold and necessary foundation for a more integrated, resilient, and effective homeland security architecture capable of addressing Nigeria’s contemporary security realities.

The journey ahead will require sustained implementation, resources, and political will, but this decisive step provides a strong and credible starting point.

Kolawole PhD contributed this piece from Keffi.