By Sa’adiyyah Adebisi Hassan
*Photo: President Bola Tinubu*
President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu , when you appointed Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (Rtd.) as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, many Nigerians who have spent years studying, discussing and advocating solutions to insecurity applauded the decision. For the first time in a long while, it appeared that someone in government understood that Nigeria’s security crisis cannot be solved by doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results.
Nigeria is fighting terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, separatist violence, arms traffickers, cybercriminals and transnational criminal networks at the same time. No serious country facing threats on that scale relies solely on old structures and fragmented agencies. Modern nations build integrated homeland security systems that bring intelligence, technology, border security, law enforcement, emergency response, cyber monitoring, infrastructure protection and counterterrorism under a unified strategic framework.
That was why many Nigerians welcomed the appointment.
Then politics happened.
Suddenly, the conversation was no longer about protecting Nigerians. It was no longer about defeating terrorists. It was no longer about preventing kidnappings. It was no longer about securing highways, farms, schools, churches, mosques and communities.
The conversation became about power.
Some people immediately began asking whether the appointment would reduce the influence of the NSA. Others started calculating which region gained and which region lost. The focus shifted from national survival to political ownership of offices.
And that is exactly what is wrong with Nigeria.
Every issue becomes politics. ❌
Every reform becomes politics. ❌
Every appointment becomes politics. ❌
Every solution becomes politics. ❌
Meanwhile, terrorists are not playing politics. ⚠️
Bandits are not playing politics. ⚠️
Kidnappers are not playing politics. ⚠️
The families burying their loved ones are not playing politics. ⚠️
The soldiers dying on the battlefield are not playing politics. ⚠️
The farmers murdered on their farms are not playing politics. ⚠️
The passengers abducted on highways are not playing politics. ⚠️
Only the political class seems obsessed with politics while the country bleeds. 😢
Mr. President, leadership requires the courage to do what is necessary even when it is unpopular. A president who spends his time calculating who might be offended by every decision will never solve a national crisis. Security cannot be built around political sensitivities. Security must be built around results.
The truth is that Nigeria’s current security architecture is not producing the level of results Nigerians expect. That is not an insult. It is an observable reality. Every week brings fresh attacks, fresh kidnappings, fresh funerals, fresh promises and fresh explanations. The enemy adapts. The state reacts. The cycle repeats.
That is why homeland security matters.
Not because it weakens anybody.
Not because it strengthens anybody.
But because Nigeria needs a central platform where intelligence is fused in real time, where agencies cooperate instead of competing, where threats are predicted instead of merely investigated after the damage is done.
The greatest mistake any leader can make is allowing political calculations to override national necessity.
History is full of leaders who protected political alliances and lost their countries.
History is also full of leaders who ignored political pressure, made difficult decisions and transformed their nations.
You are approaching a moment where history will ask a simple question: when Nigeria was facing one of the greatest security crises in its modern history, did you do what was politically convenient or did you do what was necessary?
Because one day you will leave office. ✅
One day the motorcades will stop. ✅
One day the titles will disappear. ✅
One day another president will sit in your chair. ✅
And when that day comes, nobody will care about the political calculations of 2026 or 2027.
They will care about results.
Did insecurity decline ⁉️
Did Nigerians become safer ⁉️
Did highways become secure ⁉️
Did kidnappings reduce ⁉️
Did terrorists lose territory ⁉️
Did the state regain authority ⁉️
That is what history records.
As a Yoruba man, you understand the importance of legacy. Power comes and goes. A good name remains. Future generations will not remember the politicians who complained about reform. They will remember the president who either acted decisively or hesitated while the nation suffered.
Mr. President, if homeland security is the right path, pursue it completely. Build it. Strengthen it. Institutionalize it. Give it clear authority. Demand measurable results. Ignore the noise. Ignore the political merchants who see every national issue through the lens of power-sharing and influence.
Nigeria does not need another politician thinking about the next election.
Nigeria needs a statesman thinking about the next generation.
The country is bleeding. The time for caution has passed. The time for decisive action is now.
Because history rarely remembers those who protected political arrangements.
History remembers those who solved national problems.