A public affairs analyst and security expert, Maurice Ayobami, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.) as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, describing the move as critical to addressing Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ayobami said the creation of the office reflects strategic adaptation to the country’s evolving security realities rather than an indication of institutional weakness.
President Tinubu recently appointed Famadewa as his Special Adviser on Homeland Security, a decision that has continued to generate mixed reactions across the country.
While some Nigerians welcomed the development as a step towards strengthening national security coordination, others questioned the necessity of the office within the existing security architecture.
Among critics of the appointment is Femi Otubanjo, who reportedly faulted the decision.
Reacting to the criticism, Ayobami argued that modern security threats have become increasingly decentralised, asymmetric and technologically sophisticated, making it necessary for governments to continually review and redesign their security coordination mechanisms.
“To interpret the appointment of a Special Adviser on Homeland Security as an admission of failure is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of contemporary security management,” Ayobami stated.
“Serious governments evolve. Serious administrations review their structures, identify emerging gaps, and create mechanisms capable of improving coordination, intelligence integration, and rapid strategic response. That is exactly what this administration has done,” he added.
The security expert explained that the newly created office is intended to improve inter-agency collaboration and policy coherence rather than replace existing military or security command structures.
According to him, suggestions that the appointment could trigger a power struggle within the country’s security architecture are misleading and unnecessary.
“The attempt to frame this appointment as a power struggle within the security architecture is both inaccurate and unnecessarily alarmist,” Ayobami said.
“The Special Adviser on Homeland Security is not being appointed to command military formations or override existing agencies. The role is strategic and advisory, aimed at deepening intelligence coordination, improving homeland risk assessment, and strengthening synergy among critical institutions,” he added.
Ayobami maintained that the appointment demonstrates the administration’s willingness to adapt to changing security dynamics and strengthen the nation’s response to emerging threats.
