NCTC Hosts Prevent Advisory Board Meeting

The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) played host to the Prevent Advisory Board (PAB) meeting on 19 September, 2023 in Abuja.

***Representative of the NC, Cdre BM Sule while giving his opening remarks at the PAB Meeting***

In his remarks, the National Coordinator, NCTC, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (rtd), represented by the Centre’s Chief of Staff, Cdre BM Sule, noted that the Prevent Advisory Board (PAB) meeting was part of the activities of the UK Government sponsored PREVENT Programme, tagged Brighter Futures. He added that the PREVENT Programme was being implemented in the 4 pilot states of Bayelsa, Edo, Lagos and Zamfara with the aim of preventing and discouraging vulnerable youths from joining serious organised crime (SOC) by providing alternative pathways as well as seeking to mitigate drivers that lead vulnerable youth into SOC.

**A cross section of some of the participants at the meeting**

**Members of the PAB and Officials of NCTC in a group photgraph**

According to him, the programme began with successful inauguration of the PAB in September 2021 as the highest body in the Brighter Futures project structure with the specific mandate of providing strategic direction and coordination to ensure effective implementation of the programme in the 4 states.

Dr. Bob Arnot of Brighter Futures (left) with the Chief of Staff, NCTC Cdre BM Sule (right)

He called on the PAB to play the leading and coordinating role in fast-tracking the implementation of the programme in view of the current and emerging security realities in the country. “I ask for your commitment to making this meeting a success even as I thank you all for the patriotism shown thus far. I believe that with all hands-on deck, we would surely secure our borders and citizens once more,” he stressed.

***Arnot Dr. Bob from Brighter Futures, addressing the gathering***

In her closing remarks, the Director, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, Amb. Mairo Musa Abbas, represented by the PSO PCVE, Mr. Dennis Ozioko, noted that the adoption of the whole of government and whole of society approach mirrors the nation’s policy direction towards mitigating the drivers of Serious Organised Crime while building the resilience of our Youth for a safer society.

Ambassador Mairo Musa Abbas advocated the need for State Ownership as a priority for the success of the intervention in the country.