CIVIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES - BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TITLE
CIVIC
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As we celebrate Nigeria’s 61st independence day, it is believed that things can only get better but we must hold steadfastly to our rights and be willing to respect the rights of others. Because for every right there is a corresponding duty, hence the question ‘what are our responsibilities?’. Many people have little or no knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, the need for more effort towards orientation, whether literary or verbal, in this area becomes increasingly pertinent. In recent times, the knowledge of civic rights and responsibilities of the citizen seems to be limited only to voting. Albeit an important right, this dominant electoral topic- the right to vote comes to the forefront of serious discuss amongst the most discerning of minds, the media and pundits are not left out because virtually every 4(four) years this topic is brought under the spotlight. It is therefore pertinent for the knowledge of civic rights and responsibilities to be brought to the front burner and in furtherance to this, an information base built on the subject-matter in order that the future generation is carried along in the process. Indeed, we will never have true civilization until we recognize our civic rights (and of course our responsibilities too. Hence, efforts towards this book appropriately titled “CIVIC RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES” have been born out of the need to contribute my quota to civilization, ethics and responsible citizenship.
The book is aimed at sensitizing
people about their civic rights as well as their responsibilities. A lot of
persons usually are carried away by their rights forgetting that they have a
role to play to serve their father land; especially at this time of
Independence it is apt to remind Nigerians of the need to do the right thing as
individuals, civil societies, Nongovernmental Organizations (N.G.OS),the
private sector and the government.
We have taking this opportunity to
use this medium to advice and enlighten people about leadership, especially how
to elect credible leaders who can direct the affairs of the nation most
significant are the recent developments in Nigeria’s economic, social and
political space.
The book is chapterized into 17
chapters, covering seventeen major areas including, sex education, human rights
and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The book consistently focuses on
understanding the needs of the citizenry and on devising better ways of
addressing issues, the books tone is positive, professional, diplomatic and
employs the use of lists to developing the most simplified and effective
approach to issues for a better comprehension by readers.
SAMPLE CHAPTER
CHAPTER 15
DEMOCRACY, RULE OF LAW AND NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
“Voting is easy and marginally useful,
but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by
concerned citizens.”
Howard Zinn
INTRODUCTION
The word democracy is derived from the Greek words demo and
kratios. Demo which means people and Kratias means rule of government, the term
means “rule by (simple) people”. Democracy according to Abraham Lincoln is
defined as “the government of the people by the people and for the people. A
government that is to be upheld by all freedom loving people and not just the
select few who hold a seat in the state.” It is also a government to be free of
injustice that would violate the country’s laws and by standards”. Democracy is
the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of
government, often practiced by electing the representatives of the people by
the majority of the people. As such the right to vote is an indispensable right
and the fulcrum upon which democracy rests.
HISTORY OF DEMOCRACY
The
democracies of the city-states of classical Greece and of Rome during the early
years of the Republic were unlike the democracies of today. They were direct
democracies, in which all citizens could speak and vote in assemblies that
resembled local town hall meetings. Representative government was unknown and
unnecessary because of the small size of the city-states (almost never more
than 10,000 citizens). Ancient democracy did not presuppose equality of all
individuals; the majority of the populace, notably slaves and women, had no
political rights. Athens, the greatest of the city democracies, limited the
franchise to native-born citizens. Roman democracy resembled that of the
Greeks, although Rome sometimes granted citizenship to men of non-Roman
descent. The Roman Stoic philosophy, which defined the human race as part of a
divine principle, and the Jewish and Christian religions, which emphasized the
rights of the underprivileged and the equality of all before God, contributed
to the development of modern democratic theory.
TYPES OF DEMOCRACY
1.
Direct democracy
This is the kind of democracy where
every citizen attends the assembly and takes part in the decision making. It
was the type of democracy practiced in ancient Greek city states.
2.
Athenian democracy
This is the kind of democracy that
gives an equal vote to every freeborn male over 18 years old. Athenian
democracy shared authority by choosing most government officials from the
citizenry through a lottery and imposing term limits.
3.
Popular democracy
This is the kind of democracy where the
majority of the popular votes are used to select leaders.
4.
Industrial democracy
Is the partial or complete management
of an industrial workplace by those employed in it.
5.
Representative democracy
Also indirect democracy, representative
republic, or psephocracy) is a variety of democracy founded on the principle of
elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct
democracy. Most modern democracies are types of representative democracies.
This styled for the efficient ruling by a sufficiently small number of people
on behalf of the larger number.
6.
Liberal democracy
Is a form of government in which
representative democracy
operates under the principles of liberalism,
i.e. protecting the rights of the individual, which are generally enshrined in
law.
7.
E-democracy
Is a combination of the words
electronic and democracy or internet democracy, it incorporates the 21st
century information and communication technology to promote democracy. This
implies that all adult citizens are presumed eligible to participate equally in
the process, development and creation of laws, E-democracy encompasses social,
economic and cultural conditions that enable the equal practice of political
self determination. Social media sites such as Face book, Twitter, Word press
and BlogSpot are playing an increasingly important role in democratic
deliberations.
Some practical issues involving
E-democracy include: effective participation, voting equality at decision
stage, enlightenment and understanding, control of the agenda and inclusiveness.
Systemic issues may include cyber security concerns and protection of sensitive
data from third parties.
8.
Constitutional democracy
This is a system of government that
balances public and private interests by allowing the majority to rule through
a fixed constitutional structure. Constitutional democracy is sometimes
referred to as a polity, which is derived from politeia, the Greek word for
constitution.
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