President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, May 11, 2026, announced the appointment of Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd) as Special Adviser on homeland security.
The creation of the office which is the first time since the history of Nigeria, marks a departure from the country’s traditional security architecture, which had hitherto concentrated advisory functions within the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
The appointment of General Famadewa (retd) was contained in a statement by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and conveyed through a circular signed by Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation ((SGF).
The circular was accordingly issued by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, stating that 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 of the States of the federation had once in a while created comparable positions at the sub-national level, no previous Nigerian president had established a dedicated homeland security advisory role in the presidency.
General Famadewa (retd) brings over three decades of military and intelligence experience to his new role with a career spanning national security strategy, intelligence fusion, counter-terrorism operations, and international security diplomacy.
Famadewa’s most consequential assignment was as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) between 2015 and 2021, during which he drove the establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre — an integrated multi-agency intelligence platform that brought together the Defence Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Armed Forces to sharpen national threat assessment and improve strategic response coordination.
Following his retirement from active service, Famadewa took up a position as senior research fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, where he continued to contribute to policy thinking on policing, civil-security cooperation, and national security reform.
The new SA to the President on Homeland Security, is also the author of a monograph titled; “Policing and National Security in Nigeria”, widely cited for offering practical frameworks for civil-security collaboration.
The President expressed confidence that the new appointment would deepen coordination of homeland security initiatives, intelligence integration, and proactive risk management, thus urged Famdewa to deploy his wealth of experience in advancing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
