The Federal Government has unveiled a youth-focused empowerment programme aimed at addressing banditry, violent extremism, and other security challenges across the country.
The initiative, known as the Safe Nigeria Initiative, also called Youth Empowerment for Peace and Resilience, was launched on Tuesday in Abuja by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The programme is being coordinated by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Speaking at the event, Ribadu, who was represented by the National Coordinator of the NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said the initiative was designed to complement ongoing security and counterterrorism efforts by tackling the root causes of insecurity.
According to him, challenges such as violent extremism, banditry, kidnapping, and organised crime are often driven by poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, and trauma.
He stressed that non-kinetic, people-centred interventions were critical to achieving sustainable peace.
Ribadu said the programme would empower vulnerable youths through skills acquisition, livelihood support, psychosocial care, and civic education, making them less susceptible to recruitment by criminal and extremist groups.
“It is evident that violent extremism, organised crime, banditry, and kidnapping are symptoms of deeper structural challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion,” he said.
“With nationwide coverage and an anticipated reach of over 11,000 youth beneficiaries, the initiative represents a deliberate investment in prevention.”
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Mrs Delu Yakubu, said the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Yakubu described the initiative as a shift towards people-centred security interventions that prioritise skills development, economic empowerment, and social cohesion.
She said beneficiaries would receive vocational training, entrepreneurial support, peacebuilding education, and psychosocial services, particularly youths in vulnerable and conflict-affected communities.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, said Nigeria’s youthful population remained a major national asset, noting that sustained investment in skills development was key to addressing unemployment and insecurity.
“A more skilled population is not only an economic asset but also a strategic tool for inclusion, resilience, and long-term national stability,” Bagudu said.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Abdulateef Shittu, said lasting security could not be achieved through force alone.
Shittu assured that state governments were ready to support the implementation of the programme through community engagement and coordination.
The initiative comes amid ongoing security challenges across the country, with authorities increasingly linking insecurity to youth unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion.
