NAN-H-17
NGO
By Aisha Ahmed
Kano, Oct. 27, 2016 (NAN) A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Exit Lane, said in Kano on Thursday that it had started mobilising youths in the Northern parts of the country against violent extremism and radicalisation.
The founder of the NGO, Alhaji Ahmad Umar, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.
He said that the mobilisation was planned to re-orient the youths to counter extremism and radicalization, and to also use them as tools for conflict resolution and management.
Umar revealed that some of the Boko Haram victims from the North-Eastern parts of the country had experienced firsthand knowledge of extremism, terrorism and radicalisation.
According to him, “we will identify and create new links to bridge the gaps between the victims and the government, in order to create an effective platform for dialogue’’.
Exit Lane, he added, is also working with women and children who have been directly affected by violent extremism and radicalisation, so as to re-adapt them into effective tools for nation building.
Umar noted that the NGO would support some of the out-of-school youths in the region to be re-absorbed into the conventional schools, as part of efforts to stem violent extremism and radicalisation.
“We will equip the youths with tactics in handling terrorism in a process known as `The born- again process, and evolve a strategy to adapt them as drivers of the initiative against violent extremism and radicalization through advocacy,’’ Umar explained.
He added that his NGO had also embarked on awareness creation on its aims and objectives in the Northern States, stressing that the feedbacks so far had been encouraging.
Umar said the association was also working with local, national and international organizations, as well as the security agencies, to achieve its objectives. (NAN)
AAA/PIO/PIO
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(Edited by Idonije Obakhedo)