Nigeria Shifts to Knowledge Driven Strategy as NCTC ONSA, PAVE Launch 2026 PCVE Hub

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) and the Partnership Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) Network have formally launched the 2026 phase of the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub (PCVE-KIRH), signalling a decisive shift towards a knowledge driven, whole of society strategy in addressing violent extremism.

The unveiling took place in Abuja during a one day Stakeholder Orientation Workshop organised by PAVE Network in collaboration with Nextier, SPRiNG and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). 

The event, which marked the Hub’s first official activity in 2026, drew participation from government officials, civil society actors, academics, community advocates and development partners.

Representing the Director of PCVE at NCTC-ONSA, Ms Iye Mangset outlined five strategic priorities for 2026: documenting and amplifying lessons from past interventions; expanding prevention efforts beyond historically affected regions; deepening stakeholder engagement across government and civil society; consolidating institutional gains; and strengthening youth focused programming.

“Too often, impactful interventions go undocumented or underreported,” Mangset said.

She explained that “visibility is not about publicity; it is about accountability, learning and the replication of success,” adding that violent extremism must be addressed as a nationwide concern. She cautioned that “prevention must be proactive and inclusive of all regions, including areas such as the South-South.”

Chairman of PAVE Network, Mr. Hate Gaskia, said the PCVE-KIRH was conceived in response to two major weaknesses in Nigeria’s counter extremism architecture: fragmented coordination and inaccessible knowledge.

“What are the critical gaps in PCVE in Nigeria from a policy coordination and implementation perspective?” he recalled asking 18 months ago. “We picked knowledge and knowledge management” as the most high impact response.

According to Gaskia, the Hub is structured to serve as a national repository of PCVE expertise, an innovation incubator, a technical support platform and a collaborative learning space. It is designed as “a one stop shop for resources and materials on PCVE” where practitioners, researchers and policymakers can engage without institutional barriers.

He emphasised that violent extremism should be reframed as a governance and development challenge rather than treated solely as a security threat.

“It is a failure of governance, weak governance and dysfunctional development, that creates the enabling environment for grievances to become historical grievances,” Gaskia said, “and for those grievances to then become organised.”

He warned that isolated and region specific responses are “actually ineffective,” as affected populations and perpetrators often relocate. “Violent extremism is not essentially a security issue; it is fundamentally a governance and development issue,” he stressed.

On the digital infrastructure of the Hub, Gaskia disclosed that the platform hosts three integrated components: a nationwide Community of Practice for PCVE practitioners; an e learning portal offering courses and capacity building programmes in partnership with university centres for peace studies and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution; and an e library consolidating policy documents, research reports and grey literature on violent extremism in Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.

“If you are a researcher, journalist, policymaker, or simply a citizen seeking to understand PCVE, you can access relevant materials quickly and efficiently, rather than searching across multiple sources,” he added.

Gaskia also announced plans to release a “Do It Yourself” digital guide to help users navigate the platform, noting that the initiative would support state and local governments in domesticating the National PCVE Policy.

“If we are truly committed to a whole of society and whole of government approach, then the policy must enter the public domain more meaningfully,” he said.

He further outlined the architecture of Nigeria’s revised National Policy Framework and Action Plan on PCVE, built on four core objectives: institutionalising PCVE across government; strengthening justice and the rule of law through a human rights based approach; building community resilience; and deploying integrated strategic communication to counter extremist narratives.

While noting that dedicated PCVE desks have been established in ministries, departments and agencies, as well as in several states, Gaskia warned that many are treated as peripheral structures.

“Desks are created usually as an afterthought — a desk in the corner in an MDA, but not seen as part of the institution’s core mandate,” he said. “The positioning and structure of that desk should reflect the positioning of the institution itself.”

He added that the revised policy now incorporates a resource mobilisation framework, addressing a key gap in the 2017 version. “The new policy states clearly that the government must allocate funds before others can contribute,” he noted.

On rehabilitation efforts, Gaskia called for a shift towards a victim centred model. “Rehabilitation will include rehabilitating affected communities: restoring livelihoods, rebuilding homes, restoring security and dignity,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Gbemisola Amimasawun, Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin, described PCVE as central to counterterrorism efforts.

“PCVE is the ‘software’ of counterterrorism,” she said. “We cannot effectively counter terrorism without paying sufficient attention to the prevention of violent extremism.”

She stressed that interventions must be evidence based and address what she termed the “push, pull, and enabling factors” that drive individuals towards extremism, including trauma, indoctrination and governance deficits.

Prof. Uthman Abdulqadir, Director of the Centre for Peace Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, highlighted ongoing research in Zamfara and Kano examining youth recruitment, ranching conflicts and community based early warning systems.

“More than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population is youths. If the government focuses on quality education, youth empowerment, and employment generation, we can reduce violent extremism by 80 to 90 per cent,” he said.

Abdulqadir emphasised the role of traditional rulers, religious leaders and community institutions in early warning, urging state and local governments to take the lead in implementation.

“Providing knowledge, innovation, and research is one thing; we are not the implementers,” he said. “Our role is to lay the foundation for policy formulation, develop policy guidelines, and suggest strategies for implementation.”

Deputy Director at the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Ms Margret Yenami, said the agency’s nationwide structure positions it as a key early warning enabler.

“When you look at it from the national level, the state level, and down to the grassroots level, the Agency’s coverage is very wide,” she said. “When it comes to ensuring that the country is stable, especially regarding issues of terrorism, we receive reports regularly on actions and incidents happening at the grassroots.”

She explained that information gathered at community level is escalated through state and national platforms in coordination with security agencies, while the agency’s core mandate within the PCVE framework remains public awareness and community enlightenment.

The first meeting of the inter agency steering committee for 2026 is scheduled for next week, with plans to restore quarterly coordination meetings as part of efforts to deepen collaboration and sustain momentum.