The Centre for Humanitarian and Homeland Advancement has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of retired Major General Adeyinka Famadewa as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, describing criticisms of the move as misplaced and disconnected from the realities of modern security management.

The group was responding to remarks by Prof. Femi Otubanjo of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, who reportedly described the appointment as a wrong move and an admission of failure in the administration’s handling of insecurity.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Centre’s Executive Director, Maurice Ayobami, said the creation of the office reflected strategic adaptation to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges rather than institutional weakness.

According to him, modern threats such as terrorism, banditry, cybercrime, organised transnational crime, and attacks on critical infrastructure have become increasingly complex and require governments to continuously review and redesign their security coordination frameworks.

“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 said.

“Serious governments evolve. Serious administrations review their structures, identify emerging gaps, and create mechanisms capable of improving coordination, intelligence integration, and rapid strategic response.”

He argued that the new office was designed to improve inter-agency collaboration and strengthen policy coordination rather than duplicate existing security institutions.

“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 and improving homeland risk assessment,” he said.

The Centre also described Famadewa’s appointment as merit-based, citing his experience in military operations, intelligence coordination, and security policy.

Ayobami noted that the retired general played a key role in developing Nigeria’s intelligence coordination framework during his time at the Office of the National Security Adviser, including the establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre.

“Major General Famadewa is not an experimental choice. He is a tested security professional with decades of operational and strategic experience,” he said.

The Centre urged Nigerians to view the appointment as part of broader national security reforms, stressing that the country’s security challenges require institutional strengthening, policy innovation, and constructive engagement rather than political criticism.