The Kaduna State government has announced plans to enhance collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to combat violent extremism in the state.
Governor Uba Sani made this commitment while receiving a high-level delegation from ActionAid Nigeria and the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), specifically from the Office of the National Security Adviser, focused on Global Community Engagement and Resilient Fund Interventions.
Represented by his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, the governor expressed gratitude for the initiatives of the Global Community Engagement and Resilient Fund (GCERF), the Partnership Against Violent Extremism Network (PAVE), ActionAid Nigeria, and the SARVE III project consortium.
"It is encouraging to hear about the grant approval from GCERF to support the establishment of a Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation, and Resources Hub through the PAVE Network," Balarabe said. "Violent extremism has inflicted significant human, economic, and social costs on our state, disrupting development and fostering distrust within our communities."
Balarabe affirmed that the state government fully supports these interventions, recognising that peace and security are essential for sustainable development. He outlined his administration's holistic approach to security, including supporting security agencies, collaborating with traditional institutions for intelligence gathering, and engaging with community and opinion leaders.
"Our efforts have yielded positive results, contributing to sustained peace and harmony in the state," he added. "We remain committed to working with all stakeholders to develop and implement state and local action plans for preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) and integrating these efforts into our governance policies."
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In her opening remarks, Ambassador Mario Abbas, Director of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, explained that the visit aimed to seek state government support for ongoing interventions by AAN and to scale up these initiatives. She stressed the importance of government support for the sustainability of these efforts.
Abbas noted that AAN has also established the Partnership Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) in Kano State, which will collaborate with the National PAVE network to implement the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation, and Resource Hub, support state and local action plans, and integrate PCVE into governance policies.
