JAMB Government 2009 Past Questions & Answers

According to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the President has the power to appoint the Inspector General of Police. This appointment, however, is made on the advice of the Nigerian Police Council. The Nigerian Police Council is a body that includes the President, the Governor of each state, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, and the Inspector-General of Police, and its role in this process is a key part of how the federal government functions.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose the Police Service Commission because it is responsible for the appointment and promotion of other police officers, but the appointment of the Inspector General is a special case handled by the Nigerian Police Council.

Nigerian federalism brings together over 250 distinct ethnic groups under one national government. This structure has often led to intense competition and rivalry among these groups for political power, economic resources, and social dominance. These struggles, known as ethnic conflicts, have been a major and persistent problem threatening the unity and stability of the country since its creation.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'fiscal allocation' because arguments over how to share federal revenue are also a major problem, but these financial disputes are often rooted in the underlying ethnic competition for resources.

The Nigerian Council was created in 1914 by Lord Lugard after the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates. It was an advisory body, and its members were not elected. The colonial Governor had the power to appoint or nominate members, including the six African members who were mostly traditional rulers.

Common mistake: Students might incorrectly choose 'natives' because they assume Africans had some say in choosing their representatives, but the Nigerian Council was an advisory body where the Governor handpicked all unofficial members.

The constitution is the supreme law of a country that outlines the structure of government. During Nigeria's Second Republic $(1979-1983)$, the 1979 Constitution was the legal document that established the different arms of government. This constitution specifically defined the composition and total number of members for each State House of Assembly.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 'electoral commission' because it is responsible for conducting elections, but the commission only implements the rules about the number of seats which are set by the constitution.

Privatization is the sale of government-owned companies (public corporations) to private individuals, while commercialization is making them operate for profit. The main purpose of both policies is to reduce the government's role in owning and managing businesses. Therefore, these programmes directly lead to a de-emphasis on government ownership of these enterprises.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D, 'encouraged corruption', because the implementation of these programmes in Nigeria has often been criticized for corruption, but this is a negative consequence rather than the intended purpose of the policy.

The Federal Character principle was introduced specifically to address the fears of ethnic and regional domination within federal government jobs and agencies. The Federal Character Commission is the body created to enforce this principle, ensuring that appointments reflect the diversity of Nigeria. This was a direct response to concerns that certain groups were over-represented in the public service, thereby preventing others from having fair access.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose the Civil Service Commission because it also deals with the public service, but its primary role is managing recruitment and discipline based on merit, not specifically balancing ethnic representation.

In the traditional Igbo political system, which was largely decentralized, governance was handled at the village level by a council of elders. The head of this council was the 'Okpara', who was usually the oldest man from the founding lineage of the community. He held the 'Ofo', a staff symbolizing authority, justice, and ancestral connection.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'Obi' or 'Eze' because these are well-known titles for kings in some Igbo kingdoms, but the 'Okpara' specifically refers to the head of the council of elders in the more common village-based system.

The correct answer is political instability because, by late 1965 and early 1966, Nigeria was experiencing widespread chaos and a breakdown of law and order. This was mainly due to the violence and political crisis that followed the controversial 1964 federal election and the 1965 Western Region election, an event known as 'Operation Wetie'. The military coup plotters used this severe instability as their main reason for seizing power, claiming they needed to restore order.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose corruption, which was a major problem and a remote cause, but the widespread violence and breakdown of order was the most immediate trigger for the coup.

In a federal system of government like Nigeria, powers are divided between the central government and other levels of government. The exclusive list contains subjects that only the central government, which is the federal government, can make laws about. This includes critical national issues like defence, currency, and foreign affairs, ensuring uniform control over matters that affect the entire country.

Common mistake: Students may confuse the exclusive list with the residual list, which contains matters that are reserved for the state governments to legislate on.

During the Second World War, Nigerian soldiers fought alongside European soldiers and saw them in combat situations. They observed that the Europeans were not invincible or naturally superior, as they could be defeated, injured, and show fear just like anyone else. This experience shattered the myth of white superiority, which was a key justification for colonial rule, and greatly encouraged Nigerian nationalists to demand self-government.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B because the fight for independence involved proving Africans were qualified to rule, but the direct lesson from the war was about the equality of races, not the superiority of one's qualification over the other.

Public corporations are government-owned companies created to provide services to the public. Their biggest challenge is excessive interference from the government, which often dictates appointments, contracts, and policies. This political meddling undermines their professional management and prevents them from operating efficiently and profitably.

Common mistake: Students may be tempted to choose options B or C, but the appointment of unqualified people is a direct result of the broader problem of government interference mentioned in option A.

According to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the National Judicial Council (NJC) is the body responsible for recommending candidates to the President for appointment as federal judges. The NJC's role is to ensure that judicial appointments are based on merit and to protect the judiciary from political interference. This process helps to maintain the independence of the judiciary, which is a key arm of government.

Common mistake: Students may confuse the National Judicial Council with the Federal Judicial Service Commission, as both are involved in judicial matters, but the NJC holds the ultimate constitutional power to nominate federal judges for appointment.

Before the nationwide 1976 Local Government Reforms, the system in Northern Nigeria was based on the Native Authority model, which is described as 'chief-in-council'. In this system, the traditional ruler (like an Emir or Chief) was the head of the local administration and held the final decision-making power. He was, however, required to consult with a council of advisors before making decisions.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'chief-and-council' because it sounds similar, but this term implies a partnership, whereas 'chief-in-council' correctly shows that the chief held the ultimate authority despite having a council.

The Tiv people of pre-colonial Nigeria had a segmented or acephalous political system, meaning they did not have a single central ruler like a king. Instead, political power was decentralized and exercised within different kinship segments or groups. Each of these segments, which could be a clan or a group of related families, had its own leadership structure, often a council of elders, which functioned as a small-scale government or chiefdom. Therefore, governance was confined to these individual chiefdoms rather than a large, unified kingdom.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'family' because it is the most basic social unit, but governance in this context refers to the larger political structure that managed affairs for multiple families.

The National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA), founded in 1920, was a major early influence on Nigerian nationalism. It was one of the first organizations to unite educated elites from British West African colonies to demand greater political participation and reforms from the colonial government. The activities and demands of the NCBWA, led by figures like J. E. Casely Hayford, laid the foundation for later and more radical nationalist movements that fought for Nigeria's independence.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Pan-Africa Congress' because Pan-Africanism was a major ideological influence, but the National Congress of British West Africa was a more direct and regionally focused organization that spurred specific political action in Nigeria.

During Nigeria's Second Republic $(1979-1983)$, the five major political parties were the NPN, UPN, NPP, GNPP, and PRP. While the NPP, GNPP, and PRP all won governorship elections in at least one state, the Nigerian Advance Party (NAP), led by Tunji Braithwaite, did not win control of any state. The NAP was a smaller party that contested elections but failed to secure a governorship.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose PRP or GNPP because they were also minority parties, but both successfully won governorships in states like Kano (PRP) and Borno (GNPP).

The term 'pacification' was used by the British colonialists to describe the process of bringing Nigerian territories under their control. Although the word sounds peaceful, this process was often violent and involved using military force to defeat any community that resisted British rule. Therefore, pacification is best described as the acquisition of territory through military conquest.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'signing of treaties' or 'peaceful negotiations' because the word 'pacification' sounds like it means to make peace, but in the context of colonial history, it was a euphemism for military subjugation.

Counter-trade was an economic policy where Nigeria exchanged crude oil directly for goods from other countries, instead of selling the oil for cash. While the idea was initiated under the military government of Muhammadu Buhari, it was the succeeding government led by General Ibrahim Babangida that officially adopted, expanded, and institutionalized the policy after taking power in 1985 to deal with a national economic crisis.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose Muhammadu Buhari because his military regime first started the counter-trade deals, but the Babangida government is credited with formally adopting and expanding the policy.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of sovereign states that cooperate on shared goals. Its decisions are based on consensus and are not legally binding, meaning it cannot force any member nation to act against its will. Therefore, its major limitation is the lack of coercive or 'compelling' power to make members comply with its resolutions.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose option A, thinking that the lack of enforcement power means the organization cannot set any formal rules or principles, but the Commonwealth does have a charter and guiding principles.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established to promote economic integration among its member states. Mauritania was one of the founding members of the organization but officially withdrew its membership in December 2000. The country decided to leave in order to concentrate on its membership in the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU).

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Burkina Faso because it, along with Niger and Mali, announced its withdrawal from ECOWAS in 2024, but Mauritania's withdrawal in 2000 is the historically established answer tested in exams.

OPEC is an organization of countries that produce and sell crude oil, and its power depends on the world's need for oil. If other countries develop and use alternative energy sources like solar, wind, or electric power, the demand for crude oil will drop significantly. This would lead to lower prices and less income for OPEC members, threatening the organization's core purpose and economic stability.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B, as more oil from non-member countries increases supply, but the development of alternatives that could replace oil entirely poses a more fundamental and long-term threat to OPEC.

The African Union (AU) is an organization composed of independent African countries that have agreed to work together, which is the definition of an international organization. While the AU has some powers that are above those of individual nations (supranational), its primary and broadest classification is as an international body. This right to intervene is a specific power granted to it by its member nations, confirming its status as an organization of nations.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'supranational organization' because the 'right to intervene' is a classic example of a supranational power, but 'international organization' is the broader and more fundamental classification for the AU as a whole.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council has five permanent members, often referred to as the P5. These countries are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These permanent members hold the special power of veto, allowing them to block any major resolution.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose fifteen because that is the total number of members on the Security Council, which includes the five permanent and ten non-permanent members.

A flexible constitution is a set of laws for a country that is very easy to change or amend, often using the same process as making ordinary laws. The main benefit of this is that the constitution can be updated quickly to match the changing needs of the society. This is why 'ease of amendment' is the correct answer, as it is the defining advantage of a flexible constitution.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'constitutional stability', thinking that being adaptable makes a system stable, but in reality, the ease of change in a flexible constitution can sometimes lead to instability.

In Government, power is defined as the ability to influence or control the actions and behaviour of others, even against their wishes. Option A, 'ability to impose one's will upon others', is the most accurate and direct definition of this core political concept. It is the raw capacity to make things happen or get people to do things.

Common mistake: Students sometimes confuse power with authority, which is the legal or rightful right to exercise power, often granted by a constitution (related to option B).