From Esther Akaa, Lafia
ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has charged media owners to institutionalise and integrate strategic communications as a wholistic approach in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) in Nigeria.
The Resilience Programme & Consortium Coordinator, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Mr Anicetus Atakpu, gave this charge recently at a two-day Media Master Class on Preventing Violent Extremism in Kano and Kaduna States held in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Atakpu identified, unemployment, perception of injustice, marginalisation, human right violations, widespread corruption and state’s failure to provide basic rights, services and security as some major drivers of violent extremism.
“There is need to increase the level of inclusion and tolerance in communities that can lead to both better governance of diversity and to prevent violent extremism.
“While violent extremism requires interventions to protect the security of people and assets, prevention of violent extremism need to look beyond strict security concerns to development related causes and solutions,” he said.
The Programme & Consortium Coordinator, therefore, called for the efficient and effective implemention of National Action plan on PCVE signed in 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as developing programmes that are PCVE specific.
He called on government at all levels to adopt inclusive governance approach that will help in nipping radicalisation in the bud.
In a paper presentation, Dean, School of Information and Communication Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Nicholas Iwokwagh said the media must uphold the responsibility of holding government accountable to the people, in line with section 22 of the 1999 constitution.
Iwokwagh said the media can bridge the gap between government, the process of governance and the people by extending the frontiers of knowledge in governance and the media in Nigeria.
“There is a causal relationship between government, budget and violent extremism which is the product of the gap between government and budget.
“The media can bridge this gap by upholding the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people in terms of fulfilling the fundamental objectives to the people in terms of fulfilling the fundamental objective contained in section 22 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria using the national budget as an instrument,” he said.
In another paper presentation entitled “Understanding the Concept of Power in Conflict and Emergencies,” AAN Communication Coordinator, Nihinlola Ayanda, challenged journalists to use the power of the media to give voice to the voiceless.
She, therefore, urged journalists working towards the attainment of social justice to rewrite stories from a just power perspectives by deliberately shifting power to the most vulnerable members of the society.
Earlier, Communications Officer, AAN, Peace Eneja, while giving an overview of the SARVE III Project currently being implemented in Kano and Kaduna States, said it came into being as a result of successes of the SARVE II Project, aimed at strengthening community resilience against radicalisation to violent extremism.
She said the project was targeting 36,000 direct beneficiaries, made up of 18,200 Youths, 4,160 women, 7,320 men and 6,320 in school children in the benefiting states.
The Voice reports that the training with the theme: Creating Enabling Environment and Shaping Peace Through Conflict Sensitive Reportage was attended by select journalists in Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Kogi States.
The training organised by ActionAid is in pursuant of the System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE III) Project being implemented in Kano and Kaduna with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).