AAN laments low involvement of private sector in preventing violent extremism

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has raised the alarm over the low involvement of the private sector in the prevention of violent extremism.

The Country Director, Ene Obi while speaking in Abuja at a workshop on Community of Practice (CoP) on preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in the country stressed the need to strengthen private sector collaboration to curb the menace in the country.

Ene who was represented by the Director Resource Mobilization and Innovation, AAN, Andrew Memedu said it is understandable the rationale for private sector abstainers, be it political, social, or organisational and the vulnerability of their assets when security degenerates but said the silence has been deafening and it is time to make a change.

She called on the private sectors to deviate from their usual norm of Cooperate Social responsibility and join donors in funding community led programmes that offer educational, vocational, and cultural alternatives for Youths because they are seemingly the targets engaged to push the terrorism and banditry propaganda.

Quoting from a research conducted by Global Rights, She said at least 14,641 people have died from mass atrocities perpetrated across all geo-political zones in Nigeria between January 2019 and December 2021

She lamented that it is unfortunate that the trend is increasing everyday as in 2019 3,183 fatalities was recorded,in 2020 the figure increases to 4,556, and in 2021 about 6,895 deaths was recorded representing 116percent increase over the last three years.

While expressing concerns over the low involvement of the private sector in the prevention of violent extremism, she said it is understandable the rationale for private sector abstainers, be it political, social, or organisational and the vulnerability of their assets when security degenerates but said the silence has been deafening and it is time to make a change.

Also, the Resilience Program Coordinator, Anicatus Atakpu explained that the aim of the workshop was to strengthen the private sector to work with Civil society organization in preventing violent extremism in the country.

He said that looking at what Lagos state did with the Security Trust Fund, their aim is to coordinate and make the Cooperate Social Responsibility of the private sector more direct and deliberate in improving security situation in the country.

He said overtime businesses have crumbled in areas where there is conflict, saying rather than being reactive to security situation it is important to be proactive in preventing crisis situation.