Introduction

This is indeed very apposite now in the context of the discourse around
Nigeria’s quest for nationhood.

The agitation by different nationalities for separate identities, and the

consequential rise of separatists has spotlighted the need to re-examine the
whole notion of Citizenship, especially as it relates to the variegated
components of the so-called Nigerian nation. And in particular, with the
reluctance by the government of the day (and a section of the political elites)
to hearken to the persistent call for Restructuring or to even tolerate the
agitations by peoples across the spectrum, the problem around appropriate
definition of Citizenship will always arise.

This is the major preoccupation of Nigeria and its people as we prepare to

transit to a new political dispensation. And it is naturally tied to the question
of Citizenship. Nations are built by people who subscribe to be members of
the family, and who must be properly mobilised to believe themselves as
bonafide citizens with all the perquisites that come with it.

It is impossible to build a true NATION without a well-mobilised and

convinced Citizens, who believe that their Rights, Freedom and Justice are
guaranteed in such a Nation. As the aphorism goes, you can only help build
a house that you believe belongs to you, or in which you would always be
wanted, or respected.

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Definitions

Although the generally accepted definition of a ‘Nation’ does not exist, a

nation can be defined as a structure, built and modified by its people to
elucidate the identity of a political community in ever-evolving
circumstances. This structure which is considered to be a blend of both old
and new traditional elements and innovations plays a significant role in
producing a contextual story of ‘we’. A nation is considered as a named
human population who have been sharing a territory since historic times,
common traditions and myths with some historical memories, public culture
and an economy, legal rights and duties in common for all members of a
nation. Benedict (2018) who defined a nation as ‘an imagined political
community’, referred this notion of imagined community as a community of
people staying connected to each other with a sense of belonging and
without necessarily knowing each other. Every country or community is
made of citizens, and the strength or weakness of the country or community
depends on the character of the citizens (Olakunle, 2017)

Grolier (2019) Define citizen as a participatory member of a political

community. Citizenship is gained by meeting the legal requirements of a
national, state, or local government. A nation grants certain rights and
privileges to its citizens. In return, citizens are expected to obey their
country's laws and defend it against its enemies.

The value of citizenship varies from nation to nation. In some countries,

citizenship can mean a citizen has the right to vote, the right to hold

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government offices, and the right to collect unemployment insurance
payments, to name a few examples.

Living in a country does not mean that a person is necessarily a citizen of

that country. Citizens of one country who live in a foreign country are
known as aliens. Their rights and duties are determined by political treaties
and by the laws of the country in which they stay. In the United States,
aliens must obey the laws and pay taxes, just as U.S. citizens do. They must
register with the U.S. government to obtain legal permission to stay for an
extended length of time. Legal aliens are entitled to protection under the law
and to use of the courts. They may also own property, carry on business, and
attend public schools. But aliens cannot vote or hold government office. In
some states they are not allowed to practice certain professions until they
become citizens.

Concept of Nation Building and Citizenship

Nation-building is an old term and was one of the key concept of the foreign,
overseas, security and development policy during the 1950s and 1960s. But
in today’s world, it is popularly known as a process which sets in motion the
socio-political development of a country by bonding loosely associated
societies into a common community of one identity under the concept of
Nation. Therefore, the basic purpose and objective of nation-building is to
bring unity among the people of a country so that the political viability of a
country can sustain for a long period of time. But according to economists,
the concept of nation-building has always been the process of creating a
properly functioning country out of the one that is not, which basically

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means to transform a collapsed country that was either destroyed in a war or
never functioned as a country in the first place into a country having a
legitimately functioning government and effective social institutions with
credible currency and a well-functioning economy.

Citizens of a country who are considered as the legal members of a nation

act as one of the dominant pillars in the process of building a nation (Smith,
2015). Dynamic co-operation from every individual citizen acts as a major
contribution towards this multidimensional concept of nation-building. This
concept of citizenship which has obtained a whole new meaning in this
current democratic world majorly emphasizes on the duties and
responsibilities of citizens towards one’s own country. Boles, (2013) each
citizen has to fulfil various duties like paying his taxes, exercise his right of
vote, discourage corruption by discouraging bribing, educate people and
follow the rules and regulations as a responsible citizen of this country.
Therefore a solid and powerful nation can be built from the dedication and
hard work of its citizens and some smart measures and implementations of
the Government.

Janoski, (2010) there are two basic principles that are followed in today’s
world to determine a person’s citizenship, one is inus soli: the principle
which considers and classifies people residing and living within the territory
of a country as citizens, irrespective of their religion, linguistic roots and
ethnicity. Hence living within the boundaries and on the territory of a
country has been one of the basic criteria to consider a person as a citizen
and bind him with all the legal rights and obligations that are connected to
the concept of citizenship. The other one is inus sanguis which entitles the

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 descendants and descending generations of the people who strived to build
the country and lived in that territory for ages with citizenship.

Role of Citizens in Nation Building

 Paying Taxes

Paying taxes is the duty and responsibility of each and every citizen towards
his/her nation. This duty of citizens plays a significant role in the
development of the nation. The then Union Finance Minister of our country,
(Arun, 2018) had once said that acknowledging taxpayers for paying their
taxes within the prescribed time period and timely filing of their income tax
returns will aid in bringing about a change in people’s attitude and will drive
them in a positive way to pay their taxes on time. This is important because
it is a well- known fact that a Nation meets its commitments and obligations
towards spending in various social sectors, implementation of various
welfare schemes and development of infrastructure through this revenue
generated out of taxes paid by millions of tax-paying citizens. Therefore this
step which was taken by the Government to communicate directly to the
person and appreciated for their contribution contributed majorly in bringing
about necessary changes in the behaviour of citizens towards payment of
taxes.

 Exercising Vote as a Citizen

India being a democratic country, it is built upon the foundation of elections.

Voting is not just a mere right given to an Indian citizen; it is a
Constitutional Right. It is through the critical way of voting that an

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 individual takes part in the decisions of Government and in a way influences
the decision of the Government. Therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to
cast his vote and influence the decisions taken by political heads and bring
about changes in the country. At the same time, having a transparent and
corruption-free election procedure is a step towards building and developing
a nation. Under Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it
has been contemplated that it is the right of every citizen to take part in the
Government of his/ her country either directly or through freely chosen
representatives. The right to equal access to publicly serve his country
should be given to every citizen. It has also been stated that the authority of
the Government should be based on the will of the people.

 Discouraging Corruption

Corruption is a serious challenge faced by every country. It hinders the

nation from growth and development. India’s Prime Minister Mr Modi’s
Government has taken many measures in the recent past to eradicate this
social evil. Especially the step of demonetization taken by the Modi
Government was considered as a long term reform and a perfect step taken
towards nation-building.  This step of demonetisation was popularly called
as ‘Charitra Nirman‘ to encourage and push citizens of the country towards
building their character as well in the sense to restrain oneself from engaging
in corruption.

 Education

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 Education helps and enables a person to build the right foundation for
himself and enables him to take decisions and make choices that will benefit
his further life. Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens is a well-known
saying. Therefore knowledge is a weapon that can bring about progress not
only to a child’s life but to the entire nation as well. It is only through
education that an individual will get an employment opportunity and it is
only then that an individual will be in a position to lead a better life. Overall
improvement in the living conditions of each individual will contribute
towards the overall development of a nation. Hence, education will not only
benefit an individual but will also promote the overall progress and
improvement of a nation. 

 Promote National Development

The wide spread of development within a community is brought about
citizens of that community. Development is seen when the economy is
growing at a progressive rate and effectively using its resources to meet the
needs of its citizens, in a sustainable way, so that future generations may
also benefit from the resources. Development is hindered by corruption and
other crimes.
 To Inculcate Citizens with The Spirit of Patriotism

Citizenship education aims at enabling citizens to develop national

consciousness. National consciousness means being aware of the history,
culture, and values of the nation.

It creates a sense of belonging and an understanding of the uniqueness of the

nation, which develops love and pride, in the citizen, for the country.

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 With the spirit of patriotism, the citizen is able to defend the country’s
interest. In Nigeria, we cannot forget the good works of Nnamdi Azikiwe,
Obafemi Awolowo, Tafewa Balewa who fought for our independence.

Being a good patriot of Nigeria entails giving undying support to our

representatives in local and international competitions like the Olympics and
Football matches.

Being a patriot in Nigeria also means standing for justice, paying taxes,
participating in elections, indulging in good practices and obeying the laws
of the land.

 To Teach Citizens the Fundamental Human Right and Responsibilities

Every citizen has rights that he is free to exercise without restriction.

Citizenship Education enlightens citizens on the Fundamental human right
of citizens in the nation.

In Nigerian Constitution, every human being has the right to live, freedom of
expression, freedom to vote and be voted for, freedom of religion or beliefs,
freedom of privacy, freedom of thought, right to be educated but to mention
a few.

It is quite sad that in Nigeria today, many people are deprived of their
fundamental rights while many neglect their responsibilities.

Every citizen in Nigeria is meant to abide by the laws and constitutions of

Nigeria and respect the National symbols, institutions, and authorities.

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 Citizens are also responsible for payment of taxes, preservation of public
property and participation in democratic processes. There is a great need for
citizenship education to address these issues in Nigeria.

 To Enhance the Knowledge of the Nigerian Constitution

The Constitution is an agreed set of rules, bound by law, describing

operations and regulations of the government of a country.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has binding force on all
authorities and citizens throughout the Federation.

The full knowledge of the Nigerian Constitution, through citizenship

education, will enable citizens to be aware of the repercussion of their
actions and strive to be law-abiding citizens.

 To Promote Self-Development

Citizenship Education encourages citizens to think for themselves and

appreciate good values. It helps to develop citizens who are peaceful, just,
united, self-reliant, hardworking and rational.

Citizenship Education enables citizens to acquire basic entrepreneurship

skills in crafts and trade while preserving our cultural heritage.

Citizens are able to adapt to constant changes in the environment and

inspired to be successful via honest means.

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Citizenship Education enables citizens to understand the socio-economic
problems of the nation, how they arise and how they can contribute their
quota in solving problems that hinder the development of the nation.

Conclusion

Though there are many ways to build a nation, the contribution of a citizen
towards this process of building a nation is unparalleled. Citizens are the
greatest source of power for a country. Without citizens, a state or a country
is just a piece of land. Every citizen’s dedication will definitely pave the way
towards a better nation. We are the soul of a nation and when we strive and
perform our duties towards the best interest of our country, only then our
country will take a step towards development. Therefore I summarize my
words through this quote of Mahatma Gandhi- ‘The best way to find
yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Every citizen is aware of the constitution, his or her rights, and

responsibilities and strives to live by them. Citizens become patriots and
solve problems that disrupt the country’s growth.

Vices like corruption, fraud, murder, stealing, marginalization, nepotism and

injustice would never exist in any country, who citizens value each other’s
life and national growth.

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 Reference

Benedict A, (2018) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread

of Nationalism Anderson revised Imagined Communities, London.

Boles, J. R. (2013). The two faces of bribery: international corruption pathways

meet conflicting legislative regimes. Mich. J. Int'l L., 35, 673.

Grolier F. (2019). The politics of nation building and citizenship in Singapore.

Routledge.

Janoski, T. (2010). The ironies of citizenship: Naturalization and integration in

industrialized countries. Cambridge University Press.

Olakunle, O. (2017) "Knowledge and attitude of secondary school students in Jos,

Nigeria on sickle cell disease." Pan African Medical Journal 15, no. 1

Smith, A. (2015). Heteropatriarchy and the three pillars of white supremacy:

Rethinking women of color organizing. Transformations: Feminist
pathways to global change, 264, 66-73.

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