Citizenship Education in Nigeria: For the Young, or the Old?

Abstract

Ignorance is a very serious disease which keeps those suffering from it stunted for life. There is a dire need to socialize the entire citizenry, especially children and the youths, who are the leaders of tomorrow, about the society or the State. The organization of instructions, programmes, sensitization, and training for young citizens in a formal school setting cultivates in them desirable habits, values, behavioral patterns, spirit of nationalism and patriotism that instills changes in the citizens towards productive rewards to the state. Every human being is a citizen of a state, but most people are unconscious or ignorant of this. Some, conscious of it, often expect the state to provide them with every human need, while they shy away from contributing to the well-being of the state, owing to their very poor socialization orientation, or a complete lack of it. Citizens are role players in the society; without concrete and effective socialization, they lack the capacity to effectively function productively as members of their state and beyond. This paper advocates an education that can sensitize, socialize and induct the youths on the need to give up their contemporary retaliatory violent and destructive conducts which is threatening the foundation of Nigeria. Such education and punitive measures to purge the adult perpetrators of official corruption and self-enrichment by embezzling public funds, which can further reform feuding leaders from inciting the youths against their opponents in government will usher in the tranquility all of us are yearning for.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n10p37