Department of State Service (DSS), director-general, Mr. Yusuf Bichi has blamed the increasing political instability in Africa on alienation of citizens from governments and authorities.
Bichi said this at the 2022 Distinguished Personality Lecture organised by the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) for participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC 15) in Abuja.
He said the political culture needed to sustain liberal democracy could best be described as weak in most of the post-colonial African nations.
Bichi said a lot had been achieved by some African leaders through focused leadership.
The DSS boss said significant institutional changes had taken root in many African countries, but added that, a lot was still required to leapfrog the continent to its pride of place in global affairs.
“These are institutional changes that have transitioned from the racially-based apartheid regime in South Africa to non-racial democracy.
“Many civilian and military dictatorships have fallen for the establishment of rule of law-based governance systems, characterised by constitutionalism, including reforms such as observation of pandemics in office.
“Many African countries are still struggling to deepen and institutionalise democratic niceties and culture as against governmental impunity, human rights violation and abuse of executive powers,” he said.
Bichi said some governments across African continent were becoming more alienated from the people that claim to be representing.
The DSS boss said this had led to a rise in political instability within the region, as already being seen in some countries in Central Africa and West Africa in recent times.(NAN)