Nigeria Rewires Counter-Extremism Strategy as NCTC-ONSA, PAVE Launch 2026 PCVE Knowledge Hub
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
In a bold recalibration of Nigeria’s response to violent extremism, the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Partnership Against Violent Extremism Network (PAVE Network) have launched the 2026 phase of the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub (PCVE-KIRH), declaring the battle against extremism must move beyond guns and arrests to governance, ideas and institutions.
The unveiling, held at a high-level Stakeholder Orientation Workshop in Abuja, marked the Hub’s first official engagement for the year and drew government officials, civil society actors, academics, community leaders and international partners. Organised in collaboration with Nextier, SPRiNG, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the event underscored a decisive shift toward a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach.
Representing the Director of PCVE at NCTC-ONSA, Ms. Iye Mangset, outlined five priorities that will define the Hub’s 2026 agenda: documenting lessons from past interventions; expanding prevention efforts beyond historically affected zones; deepening collaboration across sectors; consolidating institutional gains; and strengthening youth-focused programming.
She warned that many impactful interventions have faded into obscurity due to poor documentation and weak coordination.
“Visibility is not about publicity; it is about accountability, learning and replication,” she said, stressing that violent extremism is no longer confined to any single region and requires proactive engagement nationwide.
PAVE Network Chairman, Mr. Jaye Gaskia, framed the Hub as a direct response to long-standing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s PCVE ecosystem.
“What are the critical gaps in policy coordination and implementation?” he recalled asking his team. “We identified knowledge and knowledge management as the most strategic entry point.”
According to him, the PCVE-KIRH is built to function as a national repository of expertise, an innovation incubator, a technical support platform and a collaborative space for practitioners and policymakers.
More than a digital archive, it is intended to reshape how Nigeria thinks about prevention.
“It is weak governance and dysfunctional development that allow grievances to harden and become organised,” Gaskia said, arguing that purely security-led responses cannot sustainably address root causes. “Violent extremism is fundamentally a governance and development issue.”
At the centre of the initiative is a digital platform integrating a Community of Practice for PCVE actors, an e-learning portal developed with university peace centres and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and a comprehensive e-library consolidating policy documents and research on violent extremism across Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
The platform is also expected to assist states and local governments in domesticating the National PCVE Policy, which has been revised to include a resource mobilisation framework and clearer institutional mandates.
Gaskia highlighted four pillars of the updated National Policy Framework and Action Plan: institutionalisation of PCVE across government; justice and rule of law anchored in human rights; building community resilience; and integrated strategic communication to counter extremist narratives.
While dedicated PCVE desks have been established across ministries and several states, he cautioned that many remain marginalised. “A desk in the corner is not institutionalisation,” he said. “Its positioning must reflect its strategic importance.”
Academic voices at the workshop reinforced the call for prevention grounded in research.
Prof. Gbemisola Amimasawun of the University of Ilorin described PCVE as the “software” that complements hard security measures.
“Without prevention, counterterrorism remains incomplete,” he said, urging policies informed by data on push and pull factors driving radicalisation.
Prof. Uthman Abdulqadir of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, presented findings from ongoing studies in Zamfara and Kano, noting that Nigeria’s youthful demographic is both a risk and an opportunity.
With over 60 per cent of the population under 30, he argued that sustained investment in education, skills and employment could drastically shrink extremist recruitment pools.
Grassroots mobilisation also featured prominently. Ms. Margret Yenami of the National Orientation Agency emphasised the agency’s nationwide structure as a critical early warning asset, capable of relaying community-level intelligence to national platforms while promoting civic awareness and resilience.
Meanwhile, the inter-agency steering committee for 2026 is set to convene next week, with quarterly coordination meetings expected to restore momentum to cross-institutional collaboration.
For Nigeria, the launch of the PCVE-KIRH represents more than a programme milestone; it is an attempt to re-engineer the architecture of counter-extremism itself.
By placing knowledge, governance reform, youth engagement and institutional coherence at the centre of strategy, authorities are betting that sustainable peace will be secured not only through force, but through foresight.
