The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Lagos State chapter, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of retired Major General Adeyinka A. Fadewa as Special Adviser on Homeland Security, describing the move as a sign of a failing security architecture and executive overreach.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the opposition group acknowledged Fadewa’s extensive military and intelligence background, including his previous role as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser (NSA), but questioned the necessity of creating a new advisory office within Nigeria’s existing security framework.
According to the NDC, Nigeria already operates a constitutional and statutory security structure comprising the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), defence intelligence units, and the National Security Council.
The party argued that introducing another homeland security adviser could lead to duplication of responsibilities, fragmented coordination, and operational inefficiency.
“The honest and accountable step is to reassign or replace the NSA if the President lacks confidence in the current security leadership, not proliferate advisory offices that risk turf wars, intelligence silos, and blurred lines of authority,” the statement read.
The NDC further accused the Tinubu administration of expanding the size of government through political patronage at a time of worsening economic hardship for Nigerians.
It stated that every additional special adviser position comes with increased public expenditure, including salaries, allowances, offices, vehicles, and support staff, all funded from the national treasury.
The party demanded clarification from the Presidency on the specific functions of the new office and how its duties would differ from those already performed by the NSA, DSS, and NIA.
The opposition group also called for transparency regarding the financial implications of the appointment and whether the National Assembly had been properly consulted in line with constitutional provisions governing remuneration for presidential aides.
“Nigerians expect a cohesive, results-driven security strategy, not more titles,” the statement added.
The NDC urged President Tinubu to focus on delivering measurable security outcomes rather than introducing what it described as cosmetic structural changes.
Reaffirming its commitment to constructive opposition, the Lagos chapter of the NDC said it remained open to supporting genuine and non-partisan efforts aimed at restoring peace and security across the country.