Ayobami says Gen. Famadewa’s appointment as Homeland Security Adviser is good for Nigeria

A public affairs analyst and security specialist, Maurice Ayobami, has clarified why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent appointment of Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retired) as Special Adviser on Homeland Security is essential for addressing Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity.

In a statement released on Friday, Ayobami said that establishing this office reflects a strategic response to Nigeria’s changing security environment rather than a sign of institutional weakness.

President Tinubu’s decision to name Famadewa as his homeland security adviser has sparked a range of reactions, with some supporting the move and others expressing concerns.

According to DAILY POST, Professor Femi Otubanjo, a research professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, criticized the appointment.

Ayobami countered that today’s security challenges are increasingly decentralized, asymmetric, and technologically advanced, which demands that governments worldwide continuously adapt their coordination structures and policy responses.

“To view the appointment of a Special Adviser on Homeland Security as an admission of failure is to fundamentally misunderstand contemporary security management,” Ayobami said.

“Effective governments evolve. They review their structures, identify emerging gaps, and establish mechanisms that enhance coordination, intelligence integration, and rapid strategic response. That is exactly what this administration has done,” he added.

Ayobami explained that the new office is intended to strengthen inter‑agency collaboration and improve strategic policy coherence, not to replace military command structures or override the statutory responsibilities of existing security institutions.

“Framing this appointment as a power struggle within the security architecture is both inaccurate and unnecessarily alarmist,” he said.

“The Special Adviser on Homeland Security is not being appointed to command military formations or supersede existing agencies. The role is strategic and advisory, aimed at deepening intelligence coordination, enhancing homeland risk assessment, and strengthening synergy among critical institutions,” Ayobami concluded.