Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the Partnership Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) Network – PCVE-KIRH, Jaye Gaskia, yesterday stated that the government must prioritise investment in development to effectively counter and prevent violent extremism in Nigeria.
Speaking at the two-day Media Capacity Building, Roundtable, Dialogue, and Flag-Off of the Media in PCVE Network in Abuja, Gaskia said that Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) should be viewed as a development intervention, rather than an ad hoc measure intended merely to address an issue on an interim basis.
“I would simply say that development should be prioritised; and if we are speaking about the development of our communities and society, then our investment – our public investment, as reflected in our budget – should also demonstrate that we are prioritising development.
“This means, for instance, that if the challenges in our society revolve around livelihoods, unemployment, and poverty, then the bulk of our public investment should be directed towards addressing these issues. That is how we know we are genuinely prioritising development.
“Essentially, when we prioritise defence and law enforcement over development, we are just waiting for crises to emerge. Instead of investing in mitigating crises after they have escalated, we should invest in circumstances that reduce the likelihood of crises arising in the first place, so that we do not have to allocate as many resources to defence and law enforcement,” he argued.
He noted that defence should be about protecting the country’s territorial integrity, and law enforcement should be about maintaining public order, observing that when law enforcement becomes about enforcing conformity, it signals a serious systemic breakdown.
In such cases, he advised that the government should focus its investment on addressing the root causes of that breakdown, rather than merely mitigating its effects.
“While building response capacity is important, it is even more crucial to recognise that these crises originate from developmental challenges. The most effective way to address them is to focus on resolving those underlying developmental issues,” he said.
In a paper titled “Conflict-Sensitive Journalism and Responsible PCVE Reporting”, a resource person, Senator Iroegbu, cautioned reporters against sensationalising conflict stories.
Iroegbu, who acknowledged the power of the media both to inflame society and to promote peace and tranquillity, also appealed to peace and conflict reporters to exercise this power responsibly.
He further emphasised the need to draw a line between reporting on terrorist activities and inadvertently advancing the agenda of terrorists, stressing that publicity is the oxygen and lifeblood of terrorism.
While urging reporters to always be objective, factual, and balanced in their reporting, Iroegbu advised journalists to be sensitive to the cultural and religious nuances of the communities they cover.

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