NCTC Hosts Groundbreaking Dialogue to Cement Private Sector’s Role in Nigeria’s Counterterrorism Strategy

By Our Reporter

In a landmark event that signals a new era in Nigeria’s national security architecture, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has formally acknowledged the private sector as a critical partner in the country’s intensified efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

Convened under the theme “Safeguarding Nigeria Through Partnership and Inclusion,” the strategic dialogue brought together top government officials, security experts, corporate leaders, and civil society actors to advance a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” approach in the implementation of the National Counterterrorism Strategy (NCTS) and the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PF-NAP for PCVE).

The National Coordinator of NCTC, Major General Adamu Laka, underscored that the transnational nature and technological sophistication of terrorism today require more than a military response. “Our financial systems, digital platforms, logistics networks—all are vulnerable and must be fortified through public-private collaboration,” he stated. As the NCTC prepares to relaunch the revised NCTC in October 2025 under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gen. Laka emphasized the importance of non-kinetic approaches such as inclusive development, trust-building, and private sector engagement. With the Center also poised to operationalize its status as a Regional Centre of Excellence for Counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, the dialogue marked a major step toward redefining Nigeria’s national security landscape through multilateral collaboration.

Commodore Ahmad Madawaki, Director of Policy and Strategy at the NCTC, presented sobering statistics: between 2007 and 2019, terrorism-related losses in Nigeria reached $1.3 trillion, nearly 30% of the country’s 2019 GDP. “This isn’t just a national crisis; it’s a business crisis,” he said. Madawaki highlighted disruptions across key sectors such as banking, mining, and retail, including the prolonged closure of Maiduguri’s Monday Market. He introduced Nigeria’s new National Capitalizing Strategy (DINAPTES), which formalizes the role of businesses in intelligence gathering, critical infrastructure protection, and resilience planning. Proposed projects open for private sector investment include a national counterterrorism museum, a drone surveillance station, and advanced forensic equipment procurement—initiatives aimed at bolstering institutional capacity and community safety.

Ambassador Mairo Musa Abbas, Director of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) at the NCTC, reinforced the importance of community-centered and gender-responsive approaches. In her presentation titled “Security Lecture for Economic Viability: Private Sector Participation in the Implementation of the Policy Framework of International Law,” she noted that insecurity has disrupted education, health, food systems, and livelihoods. “Government alone cannot address these complex challenges,” she said. Abbas highlighted the transformative story of a young woman in the northwest, once radicalized and addicted, who became an entrepreneur through the UK-funded Brighter Future initiative. This, she noted, is proof that when the private sector co-invests in human capital, national resilience grows stronger.

The event also spotlighted the NCTC’s PREVENT Unit and Gender and Humanitarian Unit, which unveiled their implementation priorities for the PF-NAP. These include co-funding local action plans in high-risk communities, expanding youth entrepreneurship and vocational training programs, developing ICT hubs, building learning centers and shelters, and offering psychosocial support for displaced women and children. The Center further encouraged businesses to integrate PCVE objectives into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) portfolios and to partner in the creation of a PCVE Knowledge Hub and national database for monitoring and evaluation.

The organised private sector agreed to collaborate with the center in combating terrorism through partnerships and enlightenment campaigns.

Closing the session, Major Gen. Laka called on corporate leaders to view national security not just as a civic obligation, but as a strategic investment in their future. “The private sector is Nigeria’s largest job provider. Your involvement is not just support—it is essential for long-term peace and prosperity,” he affirmed. With a multilateral roadmap in place and fresh momentum from key stakeholders, the NCTC is setting a new benchmark for regional counterterrorism collaboration rooted in partnership, prevention, and people-centered solutions.