MEASURING SUCCESS IN COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM (CVE)
So much effort has been put in place in the fight against violent extremism which has been one of the root causes of our current predicament in the Northeastern part of Nigeria. Sometimes when it seems like the battle has been won, all of a sudden the attacks from the dreaded terrorist group known as Boko Haram come afresh again and even deadlier, displacing and destroying more lives and properties in the process. The new wave of Boko Haram attacks which include using teenage girls and boys for suicide bombing in places of worship and other public/crowded areas creates this confusion as to whether we are winning the war against #ViolentExtremism or not. This state of dilemma is what actually stirs up the passion to look inward and write this article. Although the projections of this article are not developed based on information collated from field work, however, the conclusion is aimed at laying the foundation and triggering quantitative and qualitative research on measuring the success of countering violent extremism (CVE).

Just as questions produce answers, actions are supposed to produce results. This implies that the effort we put in countering violent extremism should have some sort of indicators to reveal how successful the fight against violent extremism is thriving in a community. Below are some items considered by the writer to be instruments for measuring success in countering violent extremism in a community:
1. Level of Peace: According to Prof. Johan Galtung, “peace is the presence of justice” either in a society or between two warring factions, meaning the judgment preceding the settlement of grievances should be accepted and satisfactory to all and sundry. By measuring the level of peace or how people are satisfied with their present condition, one can deduce how successful negating violent extremism is faring in the society. This is because when people are not satisfied with their condition or state of mind, they tend to move towards inciting others to violence through whatever means so as to achieve their selfish goals or change which they believe will give them peace of mind, and the reflection of these actions is, but a chaotic society. Therefore it is valid to say the higher the level of peace in the society, the lower the level of violent extremism. So in other to determine success in countering violent extremism, take a look at how peaceful the society is growing, when the level of peace is low, it means CVE is not achieving a positive result, but when the level of peace is high, then CVE is succeeding.
2. General Acceptability: Wise men say “the best way to solve a problem is to identify the problem”. We cannot succeed in CVE when we don’t come into agreement with, or accept the fact that violent extremism is ravaging the social structures that holds and binds us together. Success comes with applause, which means acceptance from the people. Therefore when people begin to applaud our effort in CVE, they are actually accepting the fight against violent extremism, and from this, one can conclude that success is already being made because at the end of the day when all people are willing to join in CVE, there will be no one to be radicalized, no one to preach extremist ideologies to, and consequently no one to carry out violent activities in the society, thereby frustrating the effort of the perpetrators of violent extremism to the advantage of those engaged in CVE. So when there is a general acceptability of CVE from the populace, it means success in being made.
3. Repentance of Radicalized Youths: Another sure way to know about the progress being made in CVE is when you have youths that have been radicalized coming out repenting and renouncing violence or extremist ideologies, as well as completely turning away from their old sinister ways and behaviors. Repentance is a sign of regret which is usually accompanied by showing remorse over what one has done in the past. In other to know if CVE is progressing, one must look out for those radicalized youths or individual to see if they are abandoning the use of violence and embracing peace. If the demographic figure of repentant youths is high and increasing, then that is an indication that the result of CVE is positive.
4. Level of Tolerance: Tolerance is a mark of maturity, respect, and understanding. In CVE, one must take into cognizance the level of tolerance between people of different religious, ethnic and political background in other to determine the success status of the efforts deposited in CVE. When aggrieved parties take up arms against each other at the slightest provocation, the outcome reveals that their level of tolerance is very low and that might be attributed to violent or extremist ideologies they might have been feeding on, but when reverse is the case then that will be a clear indication that extremist ideologies are no longer fashionable, and that tolerance and understanding have taken center stage, in other words, CVE is in progress
5. Reduction of Hate Speeches: Hate speeches are just a handful of what is deposited in the heart just as it is captured in the Bible “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak”. Hate speeches usually have some form of appeal to our emotions which is always one of the basic requirement of radicalizing youths in the society. To succeed in CVE, we must make sure that violence is not steered up through hate messages most especially by our religious and political leaders. When we achieve success in reducing hate speeches, we can be rest assured that we are succeeding in CVE.

