President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed the immediate past Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) in Abuja. ​
The announcement was made public on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in an official statement released by Lilian Omo-Odigwe, the NISS Director of Coordination and Liaison. According to the statement issued from the institute’s headquarters at Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja, the appointment takes effect immediately for an initial tenure of four years, in compliance with Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment) Act, 2019.
​President Tinubu approved Bichi’s appointment following a formal recommendation by the incumbent Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi. Bichi succeeds former security chief A.A. Gadzama, OFR, mni, who previously held the position as head of the institute’s board. ​
Speaking on behalf of the institute, Omo-Odigwe highlighted the strategic value of the appointment, noting that Bichi brings a wealth of hands-on experience in intelligence gathering, security administration, operational leadership, and capacity building to the governance of Nigeria’s premier security institution.
​Bichi’s career in public service spans over four decades. He began his career in the Security Division of the Kano State Cabinet Office before transferring his service in 1984. He rose through the ranks within the domestic intelligence agency, ultimately serving as Director-General of the DSS from September 2018 until August 2024, when he handed over executive leadership to Ajayi.
In his new role at NISS, Bichi will oversee executive training programs, strategic research, and security policy orientation for senior officials across Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies.
