By ABAH ADAH, Abuja
Nigerian National Counter-Terrorism Centre, NCTC, of the Office of National Security Adviser, ONSA, in conjunction with the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility organised a two-day stakeholders workshop to deliberate on the final draft of the review of the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, NACTEST.
Declaring the workshop, NCTC’s Coordinator, Major-General Adamu Laka highlighted the importance of the workshop to national security.
“It is with profound honour and a deep sense of duty that I welcome you all to the National Counter Terrorism Centre on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for this National Counter Terrorism Strategy Workshop.
“Distinguished participants, as you may recall, the National Counter Terrorism Strategy 2016 has guided our national efforts in the fight against terrorism for nearly a decade.
“However, given the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the security landscape, it has become increasingly clear that a comprehensive review and update of this strategy are long overdue.
“This is necessary to ensure that it reflects emerging threats, the evolving tactics of terrorist organisations and the invaluable lessons learnt from our counterterrorism operations over the years,” he said.
General Laka revealed that the consolidated draft being worked on to produce a revised NACTEST was the outcome of the review and the contributions made during several stakeholders meetings.
According to him, “This review comes at a particularly important time, as NCTC is transitioning into a Regional Centre of Excellence for Counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, following the declaration by President Bola Tinubu.
“This transition underscores Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to regional security and it demands that we produce a National Counter Terrorism Strategy that meets its needs and also sets a benchmark for the region.”
Giving an insight into the workshop, he said it was carefully designed to ensure active participation and collective ownership of the revised strategy. According to him, day one will feature the presentation of inputs and the draft revised NACTEST, to provide an opportunity to review the contributions received so far and align the document with stakeholders expectations and the realities of the current threat environment.
On the second day, he said participants would engage in plenary and specialised breakout sessions to promote deeper dialogue, enable focused discussions on thematic areas of the strategy and generate actionable recommendations.”
He, therefore, urged the active participation of stakeholders, bringing their unique expertise to bear.
He thanked the co-sponsors, EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility for their support, adding that their expert input over the past week has significantly enriched the quality of the draft document.
Also speaking, the Director of Policy and Strategy, Commodore A. Madawaki, who harped on an implementable strategy, said they would ensure that the final document meets legal and international requirements, including human rights, gender and humanitarian laws.
