CONSTITUTION

SS1 CRS

2nd Term

CONSTITUTION

The constitution is a document which contains all the basic principles and laws by which the state is governed. The two types of constitutions are written constitution and unwritten constitution. Everyone within the territory of the state is bound by the laws written in the constitution. This is to ensure orderliness in the state. From time to time, the constitution can be amended in order for the law to meet the demands of current realities.

(a) Nigeria: Nigeria has a written federal constitution which allows power to be shared among the central, state and local governments. Nigeria also practices presidential system of government in which the constitution separates powers among the three arms of government. This brings about checks and balance which prevents the government from violating the rights of the citizens.

(b) African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (also known as the Banjul Charter) is an international human rights instrument that is intended to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African continent.

It emerged under the aegis of the Organization of African Unity which, at its 1979 Assembly of Heads of State and Government, adopted a resolution calling for the creation of a committee of experts to draft a continent-wide human rights instrument, similar to those that already existed in Europe (European Convention on Human Rights) and in the Americas (American Convention on Human Rights). This committee was duly set up, and it produced a draft that was unanimously approved at the OAU's 1981 Assembly. The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights came into effect on 21 October 1986– in honour of which 21 October was declared "African Human Rights Day".

Oversight and interpretation of the Charter is the task of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which was set up in 1987 and is now headquartered in Banjul, Gambia. A protocol to the Charter was subsequently adopted in 1998 whereby an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was to be created. The protocol came into effect on 25 January 2004.

In July 2004, the AU Assembly decided that the ACHP would be incorporated into the African Court of Justice. In July 2005, the AU Assembly then decided that the ACHP should be operationalized despite the fact that the protocol establishing the African Court of Justice had not yet come into effect. Accordingly, the Eighth Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union meeting in Khartoum, Sudan, on 22 January 2006, elected the first judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. The relationship between the newly created Court and the Commission is yet to be determined. As of 2016, 54 states have ratified the Charter. It has been ratified by every AU member state.

(c) UN universal declaration of human rights

One of the UN's primary purposes is to promote and encourage the respect for human rights for all individuals without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion, and member states pledge to undertake both “joint and separate actions” to protect these rights. In 1948, the General Assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The document proclaims basic civil, political, and economic rights common to all human beings.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

SS1 CRS



2nd Term

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibility simply means Duty. One’s responsibility is what one must do or take blame for if anything goes wrong. Life is full of responsibilities some of which are private and others public. Whereas private responsibilities are duties one owes oneself, public or civic responsibilities are duties one owes one’s community or state. Civic responsibilities include the following: (1)Obedience to law and order (2) Payment of taxes (3)Prevention of crime (4)Environmental sanitation

Need for order in the society

1.       (1)Sustainable progress: the society needs orderliness for them to be able to sustain each level of progress they have attained, and forge ahead.

2.       (2)Security: people that live in a well ordered society have little or no fears of damages to lives or properties.

3.       (3)Peace: the society needs peace, and there cannot be peace where there is disorder. Thus, the society needs orderliness for peace to reign.

4.       (4)Continuity: a disordered society cannot be sure of continuity, but a well ordered society is sure of continuity.

5.       (5)Values: orderliness in a society reflects the society’s value system, thus the society needs orderliness to enable new members of the society to appreciate their values.                         

Submission to those in authority (Rom 13:1-7)

All powers belong to God. Thus, even the power of the secular government comes from God, and therefore deserves our respect. Those in authority are there to maintain peace and order. It is the enemies of the people that should be afraid of those in authority, not believers. Thus, believers should not resist the government in its God-given duty. Whoever resists the authorities resists God, and such person will face the consequence. As far as you are good and law abiding, you should have no problem with those in authority. Thus, we are encouraged as good Christians, to be law-abiding, and pay our taxes and other dues.

People in authority are to serve with the fear of God for the following reasons:

1.       (1)To acquire wisdom: Leadership requires wisdom, and the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

2.       (2)To retain power: A person in authority that lacks the fear of God cannot remain in power for long because all power belongs to God who can bring down one and raise another. God gives power to whomsoever he pleases. So, when  a person in authority is ruling against the will of God, he will be removed from power and replaced by another person who will do God’s will. Hence, the people in authority are to serve with the fear of God so that they would not be disgracefully overthrown.

3.       (3)To earn the people’s obedience: civil disobedience is likely to occur when the people perceive that their rulers are ruling against the will of God.

4.       (4)To align legality to morality: morality is based on the fear of God, so any state law that is contrary to the will of God will be seen by the people as an immoral law, and they may refuse to obey it. 

HUMILITY

SS1 CRS

2nd Term

HUMILITY

Meaning of humility (Phil 2:1-11): Humility is a personal quality of one not thinking that he or she is better than others. As a way of showing humility, one should esteem others better than oneself, and be ready to take the lowest position like Jesus who though being God, yet reduced himself to man, and even among men, he had to die the lowest kind of death – a death of shame on the cross. If one humbles oneself before God, one will be lifted up, because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Ways of demonstrating humility (James 4:10, I Peter 5:5-9, John 11:3-5): (1) By esteeming others better than oneself. (2) By accepting corrections from others. (3) By correcting others with love (4) By obedience to elders and other authorities

Consequences of pride (James 4:6, I Peter 5:5, Matt 23:12)

1.       1.Resistance from God: God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

2.       2.Inability to learn: Since the proud refuse correction, they cannot learn.

3.    3.Unnecessary hardship: people do not cooperate with a proud person, and this makes his or her work unnecessarily hard.

4.Uncelebrated success: even if a proud person eventually succeeds, people would be reluctant to celebrate him. In fact, it is his faults and failures in other aspects that they would look out for, reveal and emphasize over his success. 

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF FAMILY MEMBERS

SS1 CRS
2nd Term

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF FAMILY MEMBERS

The family is the smallest unit of the society. It is a group of people with immediate blood relationship. Persons that are of the same family are expected to love and care for one another. It is this love that defines the obligation each member has towards the other.

Types of family: (1) Nuclear Family: this type of family is made up of Father, Mother and Children only. (2)Extended Family: this type of family is made up of Father, Mother, Children, Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunties, Uncles, Cousins, Nephews, Nieces, etc.

Rights and duties of family members (Col 3:18-22, I Pet 3:1-7, Eph 5:21-33)

1.The Father: he is the head of the family, and therefore has the right to be obeyed by other members of the family. His duty is to provide for the family the basic necessities of life.

2.The Mother: she should be the role model for her children, hence she has the duty of living an exemplary life, bringing up the children in a morally acceptable way, and giving them their first socialization.

3.The children: they have the duty of obeying their parents, and the right to be loved, cared for and provided for.

Behaviours which could destabilize a family: (1) Hatred (2) malice (3) wickedness (4) envy (5) disobedience (6) anger (7)infidelity (8) disloyalty (9) pessimism (10)selfishness