Ekpenyong Ita, the Director General, Department of State Security, on Thursday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, said insecurity was threatening the democratisation process.
Ita spoke at the third biennial conference of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies of the University of Ilorin.
The forum had as theme: “Democratisation, Development and Security in Africa: Challenges and Options.”
Ita stressed that the sustainability of democracy on the continent depended largely on the extent to which democracy in Africa could deliver tangible results.
He listed areas where possible results were expected to include security, poverty reduction and advancement in societal development.
He said: “People and states must be secured from the fear of violence at the local, national and regional levels.
“States must be adequately protected against aggression and internal subversion and the lives of ordinary people must not be crippled by repression, terrorism, violent conflict or rampant criminality.”
Ita, who said Africa must embrace reforms in all sectors, also argued that security “is the super structure for the building of an enduring democracy and development.”
He called on the academia to contribute to the establishment of a democratic nation, with institutions that promote economic development, consolidate political harmony, while checking conflicts and violence.
Ita noted that the academia and the broader research community were among the privileged minority that had the potential to contribute to national politics, development and security.
In his address, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, said the university was committed to promoting peace, stability and development in the country.
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