Review Article
Year: 2018 | Month: November | Volume: 5 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 70-84
>Repositioning Civic Education for Political Stability in Nigeria
Enyiaka J.U., Aminigo I.M., Osaat S.D
Department Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Port-Harcourt, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Corresponding Author: Enyiaka J.U
ABSTRACT
The attainment of political stability appears not to be dependent on the type of government (democratic or authoritarian) or ideology (capitalism or communism) a country adopts. While some nations are democratic, capitalist and politically stable (e.g. USA), some are authoritarian, communist, and politically stable as well (e.g. China). Some countries are democratic, with a mixed economy and politically unstable (e.g. Nigeria).The paper articulated the positive impacts civic education can make to enhance political stability in Nigeria. This is done by attempting to explore ways in which civic education can be repositioned for the attainment of political stability in Nigeria. In its attempt, the paper considered the politically stable climate of authoritarian China and the unstable political climate of democratic Bangladesh. This is necessary as civic education optimally strives in a democratic setting, like Nigeria, though politically unstable. The definition of democracy as an institutionalized form of government is that which enables the citizens to express their rights and perform their duties with the required skills and dispositions, necessitated the paper’s advocacy for the repositioning of civic education to focus more on teaching on responsibility. This is considered from the perspectives of individual and shared or multi-level responsibility.
Key words: Civic education, political stability, Nigeria
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