President Bola Tinubu has appointed retired Major General Adeyinka Famadewa as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, creating the role for the first time at the federal level in Nigeria’s history.
The appointment was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). The announcement was conveyed through a circular signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and released by the Permanent Secretary of the General Services Office, Ibrahim Abubakar Kana.
According to the statement, the appointment “underscores the commitment of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthening internal security coordination, enhancing intelligence-driven operations, and deepening inter-agency collaboration in addressing emerging security threats across the country.”
While some state governments have occasionally created similar positions at the sub-national level, no previous Nigerian president had established a dedicated homeland security advisory role within the presidency.
The creation of the office marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s security structure, which traditionally concentrated strategic advisory responsibilities within the office of the National Security Adviser.
Famadewa brings more than three decades of military and intelligence experience to the newly created role, with expertise spanning national security strategy, intelligence fusion, counter-terrorism operations, and international security diplomacy.
One of his most notable assignments was serving as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) between 2015 and 2021.
During that period, he played a key role in establishing the Intelligence Fusion Centre — a multi-agency intelligence platform integrating the Defence Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Armed Forces to improve national threat assessment and strategic response coordination.
Following his retirement from active service, Famadewa became a senior research fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, where he contributed to policy discussions on policing, civil-security cooperation, and national security reform.
He is also the author of the monograph Policing and National Security in Nigeria, which has been widely referenced for its recommendations on civil-security collaboration.
Tinubu expressed confidence that the new office would strengthen “coordination of homeland security initiatives, intelligence integration, and proactive risk management,” while urging Famadewa to deploy his experience in advancing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
