Homeland security adviser unveils four security priorities

The presidential adviser on homeland security has outlined four strategic priorities, including unified surveillance, improved identity management, enhanced border security and stronger early warning.

Adeyinka Famadewa, a presidential aide on homeland security, has outlined four strategic priorities to strengthen Nigeria’s homeland security architecture, including a unified surveillance system, improved identity management, enhanced border security and stronger early warning and crisis response mechanisms. Famadewa, a retired major general, announced the priorities in a statement on Friday after his first meeting with representatives and heads of key ministries, departments and agencies alongside security and regulatory institutions.

The first priority is the implementation of a Unified Surveillance Programme to improve situational awareness across the country through enhanced monitoring and technology. The second centres on strengthening identity management to address anonymity concerns and reduce the use of anonymous platforms for criminal activities. The third focuses on improving border security through greater inter-agency coordination, technology deployment and intelligence-led operations to curb cross-border crimes. The fourth priority is the establishment of more effective Early Warning, Crisis Reporting and Response mechanisms to enable timely detection of threats, coordinated decision-making and rapid emergency response.

Speaking at the meeting, Famadewa said President Bola Tinubu remains committed to building “a secure, resilient and technology-driven homeland security ecosystem” capable of addressing both existing and emerging threats. He said achieving that goal would require sustained collaboration, intelligence sharing and coordinated action among relevant institutions. The presidential aide also clarified that his office was created to complement, rather than replace, the work of existing security agencies.

The four priorities reflect the government’s recognition that Nigeria’s security challenges require a coordinated, technology-driven approach. The focus on surveillance, identity management and border security suggests that the government is seeking to address the root causes of insecurity, including porous borders and weak identification systems.

This echoes the 2020 National Security Strategy, which also identified surveillance, identity management and border security as priorities. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a government seeking to strengthen its security architecture.

The winners: the Nigerian public, who may benefit from improved security; and the security agencies, which will receive more support. The losers: criminal groups, who face increased surveillance; and the Nigerian government, which must implement the priorities.

Bottom Line: The homeland security adviser has unveiled four security priorities. The focus is on surveillance, identity management, border security and early warning. The question is whether the priorities will be implemented or remain on paper.