BETWEEN HISTORY AND CITIZENS’ CONSCIOUSNESS: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT AND CHARACTER OF THE NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION AND THE RULE OF LAW IN A GLOBAL AGE

Abstract

In a society without law, crime is not considered a sin. Hegel argued that human consciousness is a central aim of universal history, with spirit forming the foundation of all activities and achievements. He further noted that freedom, a product of the mind, is attained through rational will overcoming subjective human desires. Nigeria, with an estimated population of about 200 million today, has a significant youth majority largely unaware of the nation’s laws or the principles of its constitution. This is primarily because the Constitution and its historical evolution since 1960 have not been treated as a historical document deserving special scholarly focus, rendering it inaccessible to schoolchildren. What are the consequences of this for nation-building, constitutional development, and the civic consciousness of Nigeria’s citizens? This paper seeks to critically examine the underdevelopment of history as a tool for teaching the Nigerian Constitution and the Rule of Law within the secondary school history curriculum. It aims to contribute to understanding the role of history in highlighting the factors shaping constitution-making in a pluralistic society like Nigeria. The goal is to empower Nigerian citizens to build a society where everyone can be a conscious, rational individual, fostering national security, integration, and development. To achieve this, the study employs the historical method for data collection, collation, and analysis.