‘Prioritise Safety Of Nigerians’, Idris-Etanami Tells New Homeland Security Adviser

The Executive Director of Sustainable Initiative for Nurturing Growth (SING), Ms Mercy Ehi Idris-Etanami, has called on the new Office of Homeland Security to prioritise information sharing, transparency, effective coordination, timely intelligence, and the ability to act quickly on credible and actionable intelligence.

Ms Idris-Etanami in a statement issued on Thursday applauded the creation of the office and appointment of Retired Major General Adeyinka Famadewa as the Special Adviser on Homeland Security by President Bola Tinubu as a commendable step towards strengthening internal security framework for the safety of Nigerians.

Recall that President Tinubu announced the appointment of General Famadewa (rtd) on May 12, 2026, saying that the appointment showed his commitment “to strengthening internal security coordination, enhancing intelligence-driven operations, and deepening inter-agency collaboration in addressing emerging security threats across the country.”

Ms. Idris-Etanami described the creation of the office and the appointment ex-Army officer as a timely intervention for Nigeria’s security architecture.

“The creation signals a shift toward more centralized, intelligence-driven coordination of internal security. With threats of insecurity posed by multiple non-state actors such as banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, and cybercrimine increasingly crossing state lines and agency mandates, there is a clear need for a dedicated structure to improve information sharing, harmonize operations, and reduce duplication among security institutions,” she added.

Ms Idris-Etanami believed that the development was in the right direction to strengthen coordination, anticipate, prevent, and coordinate response before lives and livelihoods are irrevocably affected.