To address the root causes of violent extremism in the country, the the National Counter Terrorism Centre says a National Action Plan has been put in place in line with international best practices.
Coordinator of the Centre, Major General Adamu Lake made this known in Abuja during the inaugural enlightenment forum to prevent violent extremism
Major General Lake explained that since the launch of the Centre’s framework in 2017, the move has served as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s response to violent extremism that aligns with global initiatives like the United Nations Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.
“The framework integrates governance, education, youth empowerment, gender inclusion, and strategic communication to address the root causes of violent extremism through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach”
Major General Lake who was represented by the Director of Policy and Strategy Commodore Ahmed Madaki stressed that the establishment of the Centre provided a structured platform for effective coordination.
He added that addressing emerging threats, and realign with global best practices was vital in adopting local ownership through participatory planning and budgeting at the state and community levels
“Despite this progress, challenges persist such as resource constraints, socioeconomic inequalities, and the use of digital platforms by extremist groups for recruitment and propaganda remain pressing concerns”
“Accordingly, sustaining grassroots initiatives requires stronger local ownership and institutional support, while complex regional dynamics and transnational extremist networks further complicate the fight against violent extremism”
Earlier, the Chairman Preventing And Countering Violence Extremism Community of Practice,( PCVE CoP,) Jaye Gaskia, stressed that Communities need to become not just the subject of PCVE Interventions, but need to be elevated into the driving seat of the programme.
Gaskia called for legislative support in combating violent extremism in the country.
“Communities need to become not just the subject of PCVE Interventions, they need to be elevated into the driving seat of PCVE engagements, because it is in communities that the drivers and impact of Violent Extremism play out,
“The judiciary needs to become a full player in PCVE, through the system of courts, judges, and not through engagements with the Ministry of Justice. It will also be important to identify, codify and integrate into the formal justice system, forms of Community Justice Administration rooted in the history and traditions of communities, as adjunct to the formal justice system”
“There is also need to dedicate public funding for PCVE, with Legislatures establishing PCVE sub committees in their appropriation committees. PCVE should be civil authority led and at the very least be domiciled with the internal security”
“The PFNAP Implementation steering Committee requires to be restructured and expanded to include wider representation of society to enable the whole of society approach. It should also have its own operational mechanisms and frameworks to enable it be more effective in enabling coordination.
