Types and importance of rights and duties of citizens

Importance of Citizens’ Rights and Duties

(i) Social Control: Rights and duties will serve as a guide to human conduct and relationship in the society. Therefore, limits to rights and duties will enable citizens to control themselves in the society.

(ii) Peace: Rights, when they are respected will help to guarantee peace in the society and therefore help to ensure political stability in the society.

(iii) Due Process: The rules and laws are for due process, which will be ensured when citizens perform their rights and duties to the state

(iv) Discipline: When people obey the law, there will be discipline in the society. This will guarantee an orderly society.

Types of Obligations and Rights of the Citizens

Types of Obligations of Citizens

(i) Financial Obligations

Citizens are expected to pay their taxes to the state. This is to enable the government to provide essential services to the people such as pipe bone water, electricity, good road etc. Failure to perform this obligation may lead to penalty by the state.

(ii) Economic Obligations

Every Citizen Should respect and protect public properties Examples of public properties that should be protected by the citizens are : oil pipe line, Public buildings Railway, power installation etc.

(iii) Civic Obligations

Civic obligation is the responsibility of the citizen in maintaining law and order. The failure to observe this will lead to break down of law and order which is also known as anarchy.

(iv) Political Obligations

This is act of voting during election. Failure to perform this duty will bring a wrong and bad government to power that will not satisfy the wishes of the people.

(v) Social Obligations

Social obligations of the citizens include: defense of the country, protection of  country’s name, assistance of  law enforcement agents by reporting people with dubious character to the police in order to guarantee peace in the society, environmental cleanliness etc.

Types of Human Rights

(i) Civic Rights of Nigerian Citizens

These are the rights that enable a citizen to live a decent life and relate with other members of the community. Such rights include:-

1. Right to life
2. Right to education
3. Right to dignity of human person
4. Right to personal liberty
5. Right to fair hearing
6. Right to privacy and family life

(ii) Economic Rights of Nigerian Citizens

These are the rights which a citizen enjoys, that enable him to be engaged in a profitable business in order to earn a living. These include:-

1. Right to employment
2. Right to acquire and own properties
3. Right to freedom of movement
4. Right to a just and favourable condition of work
5. Freedom from all forms of discrimination in employment due to sex, race or colour.

(iii) Political Rights of Nigerian Citizens

These are the rights that enable us to participate in government. These include:-

1. Right to vote and be voted for
2. Right to constructive criticism
3. Right to freedom from discrimination
4. Right to peaceful assembly

EVALUATION

1. Outline three political rights of a Nigerian citizen.
2. List three economic rights of Nigerian Citizens.
3. Explain two of the economic rights of a Nigerian citizen.
4. Explain two political rights of a Nigerian citizen
5. State three civic rights of Nigerian citizens.