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Role of Citizenship in Nation Building
Role of Citizenship in Nation Building
This is indeed very apposite now in the context of the discourse around
Nigeria’s quest for nationhood.
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Definitions
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government offices, and the right to collect unemployment insurance
payments, to name a few examples.
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.
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.
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.
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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
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.
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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 patriot in Nigeria also means standing for justice, paying taxes,
participating in elections, indulging in good practices and obeying the laws
of the land.
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.
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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.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has binding force on all
authorities and citizens throughout the Federation.
To Promote Self-Development
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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.
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Reference
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