President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, as chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies, Abuja.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the institute’s Director of Coordination and Liaison, Lilian Omo-Odigwe, and shared through the DSS’s official X account. The statement said the appointment followed a recommendation by the incumbent DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi.
According to the announcement, Bichi will serve an initial four-year term beginning Thursday, October 22, 2026. His appointment is stated to be in accordance with Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment) Act, 2019. He succeeds A.A. Gadzama as chairman of the institute’s governing board.
The National Institute for Security Studies, located at Lower Usuma Dam in Abuja, provides training and professional development for personnel and stakeholders working in security and related fields. The governing board is responsible for providing institutional oversight and direction in line with the institute’s statutory mandate.
The statement described Bichi as bringing extensive experience in intelligence, security administration, operational leadership and institutional training to the position. His background in the security sector spans several decades, beginning with his service in the Security Division of the Kano State Cabinet Office before his transfer of service in 1984.
Bichi previously led the DSS before handing over to the current director-general in August 2024. His new appointment places him at the head of the board of an institution involved in developing professional capacity in Nigeria’s security sector.
The appointment comes amid continuing national discussions about security sector coordination, intelligence gathering and the training of personnel tasked with addressing security challenges.
The four-year tenure announced by the institute provides the initial period within which Bichi is expected to lead the board’s work. Further details on the board’s immediate priorities were not provided in the statement supplied for the announcement.
Deborah Adeyefa
