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Preventing Violent Extremism in Nigeria: Effective Narratives and Messaging

Mindale Sunway M

Abstract

In an attempt to provide a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between national policies and local realities, promote multi-stakeholder dialogue and encourage the sharing of experiences, the Club de Madrid (CdM) organized a two-day National Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, on the 23rd and 24th of May 2017 on the theme of “Preventing Violent Extremism in Nigeria: Effective Narratives and Messaging.” The meeting was held in collaboration with the Nigerian Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and in part

 

 

The Leaders Telling a Different Story project seeks to support and contribute to on-going national efforts to address the pressing threat of violent extremism. To achieve this goal, Club de Madrid partnered with pave´s multi-stakeholder network to support the civil society component of the process and simultaneously enhance collaboration between government, civil society organizations (CSOs) and community groups to combat the threat of violent extremism in Nigeria.

The national workshop was organized as part of the Club de Madrid´s “Preventing Violent Extremism: Leaders Telling a Different Story” project, which is supported by the European Commission and aims to overcome the chasm between civil society and government in understanding how to best prevent violent extremism (PVE), enhance citizens’ voices and foster government accountability. Ultimately, this project seeks to improve national and regional responses to violent extremism threats by creating stronger alternatives/counter-narratives that can effectively challenge the mentality of vulnerable groups and reduce recruitment in three countries: Nigeria, Lebanon and Tunisia.

Participants addressed issues of effective messaging, online radicalization and recruitment in an effort to reframe the narrative through the development of evidence-based recommendations on constructive communication strategies and messaging. The f indings and conclusions in this report highlight the main themes of discussions held during the national workshop and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CdM.