The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, on Wednesday, said violent extremism remains one of the most complex security challenges that threatens Nigeria’s national security.
He said that it has threatened the very fabric of countries’ communities, institutions, and social cohesion.
Speaking at the opening of a workshop and Validation meeting on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan in Abuja, Maj.-Gen Laka said the workshop highlighted unified determination by all security agencies and other stakeholders to enhance the nation’s capacity to counter violent extremism and ensure the seamless implementation of PCVE strategies at every level of governance.
The NCTC boss said the Federal Government had developed the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for PCVE to serve as a guiding strategy for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in tackling radicalisation and violent extremism.
He said: “A policy is only as effective as its implementation, and that is why we are gathered here today, to ensure that we take deliberate and strategic steps toward localizing and operationalising this framework
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“Over the course of these two days, we will focus on the domestication and localisation of the PF-NAP for PCVE.
“This will be done through exploring strategies to integrate PCVE principles into the operational frameworks of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as at the state and local government levels.
“We will also identify existing gaps, challenges, and opportunities for institutionalizing PCVE efforts across various sectors.
“For the validation of the PCVE Guidelines and Strategic Communication Plan, we will conduct a thorough review of the draft PCVE Guidelines to ensure they align with national priorities, security realities, and international best practices.
“Furthermore, we will validate the draft strategic communication plan, taking cognizance that effective messaging is crucial in countering extremist narratives, fostering positive community engagement, and ensuring that our responses remain proactive, and evidence-based.”
Earlier, the Director of PCVE at NCTC, Amb. Mairo Musa, said the main objectives of the workshop were to enhance understanding of the policy framework on preventing and countering violent extremism and facilitating its localisation at the institutional state and community levels.
According to her, effective implementation requires domestication, ownership, and integration within existing government agencies and security structures.
She said it was to also assess, refine, and validate the strategic communication plan to align with the evolving security landscape and leverage effective messaging to counter extremist narratives and promote peace-building efforts, “foster cross-sectional collaboration and information sharing, strengthening multi-sector stakeholder synergy in PCV implementation.”
‘It is expected that the outcome will strengthen understanding of the PCV-PFNAP amongst MDAs at the state, institutions, and other stakeholders with clear strategies for its localisation and institutionalisation,” she said.