FG moves to close security gaps with localised counter-extremism plan

Those who are familiar with the structure of Nigeria’s annual federal budget are very used to the idea that a number of functions and associated expenditures are duplicated in several places

The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to tackle violent extremism by shifting from national strategies to targeted, state-driven and grassroots interventions.

This was as security stakeholders move to close gaps that have allowed extremist threats to thrive in underserved communities.

A consultative forum convened by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC-ONSA) in collaboration with key partners, policymakers, civil society actors, and development organisations, on Thursday in Abuja, emphasised the urgent need to translate the country’s Policy Framework and National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PF-NAP) into practical, localised action.

The initiative, driven through the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub under the PAVE Network, is being implemented with support from partners including Nextier, the SPRING Programme, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

Jaye Gaskia, Chairman of PAVE Network, said the engagement builds on over a year of pilot programmes aimed at closing the long-standing gap between national policy frameworks and subnational realities.

He noted a deliberate transition from mere “domestication” of policies to full-scale localisation, a strategy designed to empower states to craft responses tailored to their unique socio-political and security contexts.

“This is a national framework, but its success depends on how well it reflects local realities. States must define their priorities, develop tailored action plans, and establish coordination systems that work within their contexts,” he said.

Gaskia added that Technical Working Groups already operational in several states, particularly across the North-West, are playing a critical role by bringing together government agencies, civil society actors, and community stakeholders under unified implementation structures.

Also speaking, Iye Mangset, Principal Staff Officer of the PCVE Directorate at NCTC-ONSA, commended the growing multi-stakeholder collaboration and highlighted recent updates to the framework.

She explained that the PF-NAP, originally developed in 2017 and revised in 2025, has been strengthened to reflect emerging threats and evolving security dynamics.

According to her, implementation is guided by six core pillars: institutionalisation and mainstreaming of PCVE, access to justice, community capacity building, strategic communication, research and learning, and gender mainstreaming.

“The focus now is on implementation. We want to see stronger ownership at the state level to ensure the framework delivers measurable impact,” Mangset said.

Yetunde Adegoke, National Coordinator of GCERF Nigeria, ,emphasised the need to sustain momentum, noting that progress recorded over the past year must be consolidated through continuous engagement and long-term planning.

In his intervention, Ndubisi Nwokolo, Partner at Nextier, called for a shift away from reactive, force-driven approaches towards preventive, non-coercive strategies.

“Violent extremism is deeply rooted in governance challenges, inequality, and social exclusion. Addressing these underlying drivers is essential for any sustainable solution,” he said, warning that the threat is becoming increasingly localised and requires adaptive responses.

Deliberations at the forum revealed that while notable progress has been made in establishing state-level structures and action plans, implementation remains uneven.

Participants identified several constraints, including weak inter-agency coordination, bureaucratic bottlenecks, inadequate funding, overdependence on donor support, and fluctuating political commitment.

Participants highlighted ongoing initiatives such as stakeholder engagement platforms, early warning systems, and community-based programmes, but acknowledged that many of these efforts remain fragmented.

“There is increasing awareness, but implementation is still uneven. What is required now is stronger alignment and sustained political will,” one participant observed.

A major takeaway from the discussions was the consensus that fragmented responses have allowed extremist groups to exploit regional gaps, often relocating operations to areas with weaker institutional capacity.

To address this, stakeholders called for stronger alignment between federal and state actors, formal institutionalisation of Technical Working Groups as State Coordination Committees, integration of PCVE strategies into development and security plans, and the creation of dedicated budgetary provisions by state governments.

The forum also underscored the importance of strategic communication in countering extremist narratives and building public trust, with plans underway to unveil a national communication strategy alongside the revised PF-NAP.

Participants further agreed that community engagement, youth inclusion, and early warning mechanisms must remain central to implementation efforts.

While expressing cautious optimism over growing collaboration and increased state participation, stakeholders warned that the success of the localisation drive will ultimately depend on sustained funding, political will, and coordinated execution across all tiers of government.