A maritime industry security expert, Yahaya Oladiran Idris, a retired Deputy Comptroller of Customs has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of Homeland Security at this point in time, but he was of the strong opinions that the homeland security should be a separate department on its own under the President.
It’s establishment is very apt at this point in time likening it with the recent activities of terrorists in Nigeria today in a way to the terrorists attack on September 11,2001 on World Trade Center in America which led to the establishment of homeland Security in 2003.
With the security situation in the country today, we need homeland security department to handle all these cyber crimes, assassinations, terrorists activities, kidnappings, cross border illegal activities and host of others.
All these are interwoven with the Police, Customs, Immigration and Military core duties.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, the hands of Nigerian Police is full with the various internal security challenges, including our Military too, so this is where the homeland security department will fill in the gap.
The activities of the terrorists are expanding day in day out, from North East to the North West, North Central and now down to the South West, we need it to support the already existing security architecture of Nigeria.
We don’t have to be territorial in our security dealings now, the security situation is becoming chaotic, it’s establishment will never be duplication of duty going by the American example.
Record have it, that the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President on homeland security, in person of Major General A Adeyinka Famadewa Rtd was a thorough breed intelligence expert officer before his retirement from the Nigerian Army, which means, a round peg in a round hole.
Part of the main reasons why I am proposing separate department is for it not to be crippled with red tapism, I mean administrative bottle necks.
Also, at this point in time, the President needs on hand information to take urgent, in some cases radical or surgical security decisions which can be hampered by administrative procedures and more importantly Leakages which can lead to loss of life’s and tactical delays.