Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa, Coordinator, Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), says terrorists’ activities require multidimensional approaches involving all stakeholders to tackle.
Musa stated this at a 4-day masterclass IV on “Strengthening Nigeria’s Implementation of the Policy Framework and National Action Plan (NAP) for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), in Nigeria” on Tuesday in Abuja.
The masterclass was organised for PCVE officers and NAP steering committee members by ONSA, in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Netherlands.
He said the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for PCVE recognised the integrated roles of government agencies with the larger society as critical by adopting a Whole of Government and a Whole-of-Society approach.
According to him, it encourages the active participation of ministries, departments and agencies of government, as well as critical stakeholders from different sectors of the civil society such as religious actors, youth, teachers, women, law enforcement, the media and community based organization.
“This is essential in order to build networks of peace that create safe and resilient communities across Nigeria, in which human rights and the rule of law guide the approach to combating violent extremism
“The development and implementation of a policy framework prioritises the strengthening of institutions and coordination; access to justice, rule of law, and human rights approaches; engaging communities and building resilience; and integrating strategic communication in PCVE Programmes.
“To enhance the coordination of implementation of the PCVE Framework and action plan the government constitute the PCVE National Action Plan Steering Committee and a functional Secretariat reflecting the broad range of stakeholders across government and civil society.
“The committee is designed to ensure an integrated, coordinated, comprehensive and adaptive approach in implementation of the plan and various levels of government from national, states and local governments,” he said.
The coordinator said the master class would serve as a veritable initiative that would directly support the attainment of the different objectives designed for strengthening institutional capacity for PCVE in Nigeria.
He said it would also help in strengthening communities and building resilience and also integrating strategic communication in PCVE programming of Nigeria’s action plan.
According to him, this very important event is designed to further stimulate the existing collaborative efforts of the Government of Nigeria and our partners towards ensuring peace and stability in the country.
“This is borne from the harrowing experience caused by the non-state armed groups who have continued to unleash terror, mayhem and killing of innocent citizens.
“The untoward activities of these insurgents and the terrorists group, particularly in the North East of the country have to a very large extent debilitated economic activities in the country and led to the displacement of people and communities,” he added.
Musa commended the government of Netherlands for its support to Nigeria in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, adding that ONSA would build on the gains of the collaboration over time.
The Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Henry Van Dijk, represented by the Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Ewout de Wit, commended ONSA and team of experts for their commitment to countering violent extremism in Nigeria.
The envoy said that addressing violent extremism as well as the security challenges in the West African sub-region as a whole was a common task that bound both countries together as well as the international community.
He said it was important for government and civil society to work together towards proffering lasting solutions to combat violent extremism, saying that there could not be development and prosperity without security.
According to him, the Netherlands will remain a reliable partner in this fight, not only in Nigeria, but also in the wider sub region and the world.
(NAN)
