Citizenship

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Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about citizenship. Enjoy the class!

Citizenship

A citizen is a person who is a legal member of and owe allegiance to a particular country he resides in which he enjoys full civil and political rights and will be ready to put his life at stake in defence of his territory when the occasion calls for that.

The special status which is accorded to citizens by the state is called citizenship. It can rightly be said that not everybody who resides in a territory is a citizen.

Duties of citizens

The following are some of the duties of a citizen in a state, in return for most of the rights enjoyed.

1. Payment of taxes: A citizen should pay his tax to provide the state with revenue for social services e.g. pipe-borne water, hospitals etc.
2. Obedience to law: A citizen should obey all the laws of the state for the common goods of the citizens
3. Voting at elections: A citizen has to vote during an election to elect the right leaders for the country.
4. Detection and prevention of crimes: A good citizen should always assist the law enforcement agencies in detecting and preventing crimes in the society.
5. Not interfering in the rights of others: A good citizen is to respect other people’s right and not interfere with the rights of another citizen.
6. Show respect for national symbols: National symbols like the national flag, the national anthem is to be respected by citizens.
7. Loyalty: A good citizen must show loyalty to his country and must not be a betrayer.
8. Enlistment in the armed forces: When called upon to be enlisted in the armed forces for the defence of the country, a good citizen should make himself available.

Function and responsibilities of citizens in fostering democracy

Citizens’ responsibilities are the duties a citizen is expected to carry out to ensure growth and development in the state. some of these responsibilities are:

1. Payment of taxes and rates: Citizens are expected to pay their taxes and rates to enable the government to discharge her functions.
2. Voting during an election: The citizens must perform the duties of voting during the election period. A citizen at the age of 18 should vote to choose the candidate of his or her choice.
3. Reporting criminals: A good citizen should report criminals to make the state free from danger.
4. Obedience to law and order: Good citizens must be obedience to the law and ensure orderliness in the state.
5. Loyalty to the state: A good citizen must be loyal to his state i.e. must show constant and firm support to your country.

Evaluation

1. A citizen is a person who is all of the following except
   (a) legal member of a country
   (b) fights against a country
   (c) owe allegiance to a particular country
   (d) enjoys full civil and political rights in a country
2. The special status accorded to citizens by the state is called
   (a) passport
   (b) identity card
   (c) drivers licence
   (d) citizenship
3. One of these is not a duty of the citizen to the state
   (a) payment of taxes
   (b) voting at elections
   (c) disrespect for national symbols
   (d) obedience to law
4. People who are not legally recognised as members of a country are called
   (a) aliens
   (b) parasite
   (c) immigrant
   (d) natives
5. A good citizen can be called upon to enlist in the armed forces in times of conflict
   (a) true
   (b) false
   (c) none of the above
   (d) all of the above

 

In our next class, we will be talking about Ways of Losing Citizenship.  We hope you enjoyed the class.

Should you any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

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