Tinubu names ex-DSS Director-General Yusuf Bichi NISS governing board chairman

President Bola Tinubu has named Yusuf Bichi, who once served as Director General at the Department of State Services (DSS), as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) in Abuja.

The appointment was made known through a statement released by Lilian Omo-Odigwe, the Director of Coordination and Liaison at NISS on Thursday.

According to the statement, Bichi’s appointment followed a recommendation by the incumbent DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi.

His appointment is for an initial four-year term, effective October 22, 2026, in accordance with Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment) Act, 2019.

Bichi will succeed A.A. Gadzama, OFR, mni, on the institute’s Governing Board.

The former DSS chief handed over leadership of the security agency to Ajayi in August 2024.

According to the statement, Bichi began his career in the Security Division of the Kano State Cabinet Office before his transfer of service in 1984.

The institute said his appointment brings extensive experience in intelligence, security administration, operational leadership and institutional training to the governance of NISS.

The National Institute for Security Studies is based at Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja.