Nigeria has unveiled a recalibrated strategy to confront violent extremism, as the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) and the Partnership Against Violent Extremism Network (PAVE Network) formally launched the 2026 phase of the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub (PCVE-KIRH).
The initiative signals a strategic pivot from a predominantly security-driven response toward a broader governance- and institution-focused framework. Officials at the unveiling, held during a high-level Stakeholder Orientation Workshop in Abuja, stressed that sustainable counter-extremism requires coordinated action across government, civil society, academia and communities.
The event, organised in collaboration with Nextier, SPRiNG and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), marked the Hub’s first official engagement of 2026. Participants included senior government representatives, civil society leaders, researchers, traditional rulers and international development partners.
Representing the Director of PCVE at NCTC-ONSA, Ms Iye Mangset outlined five priorities for the Hub this year: systematic documentation of past interventions; expansion of preventive programming beyond historically affected regions; deeper cross-sector collaboration; consolidation of institutional reforms; and intensified youth-focused engagement.
She cautioned that many impactful initiatives have lost visibility due to weak knowledge management and coordination gaps. According to her, improved documentation is essential not for publicity, but for accountability, learning and replication. She further noted that violent extremism is no longer geographically confined, underscoring the need for nationwide preventive engagement.
Chairman of PAVE Network, Mr Jaye Gaskia, described the PCVE-KIRH as a response to longstanding structural deficiencies within Nigeria’s PCVE architecture. He said internal reviews identified knowledge management as the most strategic entry point for reform.
Gaskia explained that the Hub is designed to function as a national repository of expertise, an innovation incubator, a technical support platform and a collaborative interface for practitioners and policymakers. Beyond serving as a digital archive, it aims to reshape prevention thinking by embedding governance reform and development planning at the core of counter-extremism.
He argued that weak governance and uneven development create fertile ground for grievances to escalate into organised violence, maintaining that security operations alone cannot resolve underlying drivers. In his view, violent extremism is fundamentally rooted in governance and development deficits.
Central to the initiative is a digital platform integrating a Community of Practice for PCVE stakeholders, an e-learning portal developed with university peace centres and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and a comprehensive e-library consolidating policy frameworks and research on violent extremism across Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
The platform is also expected to support subnational governments in domesticating the National PCVE Policy, recently revised to incorporate a resource mobilisation framework and clearer delineation of institutional mandates.
Gaskia highlighted four pillars of the updated National Policy Framework and Action Plan: institutionalisation of PCVE across government structures; justice and rule of law anchored in human rights; community resilience-building; and integrated strategic communication to counter extremist narratives.
Although PCVE desks have been established in several ministries and states, he warned that many remain marginalised within bureaucratic hierarchies. Effective institutionalisation, he said, requires strategic positioning that reflects the importance of preventive action.
Academic contributors reinforced the emphasis on evidence-based prevention. Prof. Gbemisola Amimasawun of the University of Ilorin described PCVE as the “software” complementing hard security measures, arguing that counterterrorism efforts remain incomplete without preventive frameworks grounded in empirical research.
Similarly, Prof. Uthman Abdulqadir of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, presented findings from ongoing studies in Zamfara and Kano, highlighting Nigeria’s demographic profile as both a vulnerability and an opportunity. With a majority of the population under 30, he noted that sustained investment in education, skills development and employment could significantly reduce recruitment pools for extremist groups.
Grassroots mobilisation also featured prominently. Ms Margret Yenami of the National Orientation Agency pointed to the agency’s nationwide presence as a potential early warning asset, capable of transmitting community-level insights to national platforms while strengthening civic awareness and resilience.
An inter-agency steering committee for 2026 is scheduled to convene next week, with quarterly coordination meetings planned to reinforce cross-institutional momentum.
For Nigeria, the operationalisation of the PCVE-KIRH represents more than a programme rollout. It reflects a deliberate effort to re-engineer the architecture of counter-extremism by prioritising knowledge systems, governance reform, youth engagement and institutional coherence — a strategy officials believe will secure long-term stability through foresight as much as force.
