Workstreams
Drugs, Weapons, Divisive Narratives, and Social Exclusion
Drugs, Weapons, Divisive Narratives, and Social Exclusion
Drug production, distribution, and consumption are known to play important roles in conflict, with potentially negative impacts on development and sustainability. In Nigeria, news reports and academic commentaries have linked the widespread availability and consumption of drugs to violent conflicts, especially in the North. Nevertheless, the relationships between drugs, conflict, and development are complex, multi-faceted, and under-researched.
Nigeria SPRiNG is focused on mitigating the pervasive abuse of drugs and weapons, and the widespread use of divisive narratives and exclusion to fuel conflict. See our focus areas below for more information on how SPRiNG is working to tackle drugs, weapons, divisive narratives and exclusion.
SPRiNG believes that, if effective measures are put in place to control drug peddling, sensitize the public about the dangers of drug addiction to health, livelihoods and security, and address factors that expose populations to drug addiction; then, affected populations would benefit from enhanced stability associated with reduced exposure to drugs. Affected populations would also be less exposed to violence related to drug addiction and less vulnerable to being mobilised to engage in violence.
This would lead to enhanced stability due to reduced exposure to drugs, enhancing resilience to drug-related violence. There would also be reduced incentives to resort to violence for conflict resolution and thus, reduced violence.
SPRiNG believes that, if relevant government agencies have increased capacity to check the unregulated supply of small arms and light weapons (SALW), and communities are supported to address the factors that increase demand for SALWs, the reduced supply and demand for SALWs would enhance security in affected communities. This would reduce the incentives of communities to resort to violence.
These changes would result in enhanced security due to reduced exposure to, availability, and demand of SALW, which will lead to the reduction of the deadly use of SALW as a conflict resolution tool.
SPRiNG believes that, if relevant government agencies and civil society organizations increase their capacity to regulate, monitor and counter divisive narratives, hate and dangerous speech, and people are sensitised on how to detect, check and counter dissemination of divisive narratives and hate/dangerous speech; then, affected populations would become more resilient and less vulnerable to divisive narratives and hate/dangerous speech.
Subsequently, incidents of violence linked to divisive narratives and hate/dangerous speech would be reduced.
SPRiNG believes that, if relevant government agencies and community structures are supported to expand opportunities for productive engagement of young people in economic, social and political life, and young people acquire skills and capacities necessary to access livelihood opportunities and participate in decision making processes in the context of conflict, economic crisis and climate change, young people will become more resilient and less inclined towards culture of violence.
Due to young people having greater opportunities and hope for the future, violence and participation in violent groups will decrease as a result.
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