The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting non-kinetic strategies aimed at preventing violent extremism, backing a new livelihood empowerment initiative targeted at vulnerable youth and women across Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch of the Livelihood Empowerment Initiative for Vulnerable Youth and Women: Pathways to Preventing Violent Extremism in Nigeria on Wednesday, March 26, 2026, at the NCTC in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the Centre, Major General Adamu Garba Laka, represented by the Director of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), Ambassador Abimbola Wonosikou, described the project as a strategic security intervention rather than just a development programme.
He said the initiative reflects a growing national recognition that sustainable security must go beyond military operations to address the socio-economic conditions that make communities vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremist and criminal groups.
According to him, Nigeria is currently confronting a dangerous intersection of economic hardship and insecurity in several communities, resulting in displacement, fear, unemployment, underemployment, and limited access to economic opportunities.
“These conditions create fertile ground for exploitation, particularly by violent extremist and criminal groups,” he said, noting that the project would do more than provide livelihoods.
“By launching and coordinating the implementation of the Livelihood Empowerment Initiative, we are de-risking the future of vulnerable youth and women. We see this initiative as a soft-approach strategy to counter-terrorism, replacing vulnerability with capability, and despair with a career,” he added.
The NCTC said the initiative aligns closely with Nigeria’s Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism framework, particularly in tackling structural drivers of radicalisation, promoting economic inclusion, strengthening community-based prevention mechanisms, and supporting at-risk populations.
Major General Laka stressed that the Centre has consistently championed a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to national security, emphasizing that lasting peace can only be achieved when human security is prioritised.
He noted that the project’s focus on agricultural value chains is particularly significant, given the sector’s role as a major pillar of Nigeria’s economy and a dependable source of sustainable livelihoods.
He also commended the inclusion of skills acquisition, capacity building, start-up resources, and guaranteed market linkages, saying the model ensures beneficiaries are not only trained but also positioned for long-term productivity and economic self-reliance.
The project is expected to empower 10,000 vulnerable youth and women with sustainable income opportunities and jobs, a target the NCTC said would strengthen community resilience and reduce susceptibility to extremist recruitment.
“These outcomes speak directly to our national priorities of security, stability, and inclusive growth,” he said.
The NCTC also praised Giving to the Needy Mission International for conceptualising the initiative, describing it as a forward-looking intervention that demonstrates a strong understanding of the connection between development and security. While reaffirming government support for preventive approaches to violent extremism, the Centre stressed that such goals cannot be achieved by government alone.
Dr. Iyke Ezeugo, Chief Operating Officer of DoGood Foundation for the Needy, Inc. USA, who represented the organisation’s Founder and CEO, Major Iheanyichukwu Sunday of the United States Army, in his remark commended the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser for spearheading the “Livelihood Empowerment Initiative for Vulnerable Youth and Women.”
He also praised Giving to the Needy Mission International for its partnership and commitment, describing the initiative as a timely and strategic intervention in Nigeria’s fight against violent extremism. According to him, while kinetic responses remain important, the launch of the programme signals a critical shift towards addressing the root causes of insecurity by tackling poverty, unemployment, and social marginalisation, which extremist groups often exploit as recruitment tools.
Ezeugo stressed that empowering vulnerable youth and women with practical skills, enterprise support, and guaranteed market access should be seen not merely as an economic programme, but as a comprehensive national security strategy. He noted that the DoGood Foundation strongly aligns with the belief that sustainable peace and security begin at the grassroots, where investments in livelihoods can strengthen family and community resilience while reducing susceptibility to radicalisation.
Speaking at the official launch of the Livelihood Empowerment Initiative (LEI) in Abuja on Thursday, the Board Chairman of Giving to the Needies Mission International (GINMI), Dr. Reuben Uche Egwu, described the programme as a strategic non-kinetic response to insecurity, aimed at tackling the economic conditions that make vulnerable women and youths susceptible to recruitment by violent extremist groups.
He said the initiative, developed in partnership with the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), is designed to empower 10,000 vulnerable women and youths across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through agricultural training, quality inputs, start-up grants, and structured market access, thereby addressing unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion as key drivers of radicalisation.
Dr. Egwu noted that the three-year programme, scheduled to run from 2026 to 2028, will focus on strategic agricultural value chains such as cassava processing, rice and maize cultivation, poultry rearing, and fish farming, with the goal of creating 20,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide.
He added that the phased rollout, to be implemented in close coordination with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), aligns with broader national peacebuilding objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals, while also calling on the private sector, development partners, and international organisations to provide technical and financial support to scale the initiative into a sustainable nationwide model for resilience, food security, and peacebuilding.
It therefore called on development agencies, private sector actors, financial institutions, civil society organisations, and other strategic partners to support the implementation of the initiative.
The event concluded with a renewed pledge by the NCTC to continue coordinating and supporting innovative and sustainable interventions that strengthen resilience and address the root causes of violent extremism in Nigeria.
