Citizenship: Ways of Citizenship Acquisition
CITIZENSHIP : Citizenship is a status bestowed on the individual by the state. United Nation Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines citizenship as “the status of having the right to participate in and to be represented in politics” Nwankwo (1992:102) also defines a citizen as an “individual who has full political and legal right in a state.” According to Aristotle, citizenship is determined by the constitution of the state. This means that whatever or whoever constitution defines as a citizen so shall it. He also argues that citizens are those who share and take part in the administration of justice in a state. This Aristotelian notion of state actually captures the practical meaning of citizenship, especially in the Third World countries where citizens are treated as aliens if they are not in the corridors of power. Aristotle equated citizen with justice and fairness. This is because according to him only thos...