Post-UTME Government 2007 Past Questions & Answers

The correct answer is Greece because the concept and practice of democracy originated in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens around the 5th century BC. The word 'democracy' itself comes from the Greek words 'demos' (people) and 'kratos' (rule), which means 'rule by the people'. In ancient Athens, citizens had the power to participate directly in the assembly to make laws and important decisions.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose the United States of America or Britain because they are prominent modern examples of democratic countries, forgetting that ancient Greece is where the system first began.

Nigeria is the correct answer because it has the largest population not just in West Africa, but in all of Africa, earning it the nickname 'The Giant of Africa'. In government studies, a country's population is a major determinant of its national power and influences its foreign policy. Nigeria's large population gives it significant influence in regional and international organizations like ECOWAS and the African Union.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Ghana because it is another major and influential country in the West African sub-region, but its population is significantly smaller than Nigeria's.

King Jaja of Opobo was a powerful 19th-century ruler and trader in the Niger Delta who founded the city-state of Opobo. He strongly resisted British attempts to control trade routes and monopolize the palm oil trade in his territory. As a result of his opposition, he was deceived by the British, captured in 1887, and exiled to the West Indies.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose Oba of Benin, as Oba Ovonramwen also famously resisted British influence and was exiled after the Benin Expedition of 1897.

A settler colony is a place where foreign people move to live permanently, often taking over land and dominating the local population. South Africa, Angola, and Mozambique were all settler colonies with large, permanent European populations. Nigeria, on the other hand, was an administrative colony where the British ruled primarily for economic gain and did not settle in large numbers, making it the correct exception.

Common mistake: Students may confuse the general fact of being colonized with the specific type of 'settler colony', not realizing that the British did not permanently settle in Nigeria in large numbers as Europeans did in South Africa or Angola.

Nigeria officially gained its independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960. This date marks the end of British administration and the birth of Nigeria as a sovereign nation. This achievement was the culmination of decades of struggle and activism by Nigerian nationalists who fought for self-governance.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 1963 because that is the year Nigeria became a Republic, but the country first gained its independence in 1960.

Political culture refers to the shared beliefs and values of a people towards their political system. Symbols like the national flag, anthem, and constitution are used to represent the nation and its ideals. The government, on the other hand, is not a symbol; it is the actual group of people and institutions that exercise political authority. Therefore, the government is the entity itself, not a symbol representing it.

Common mistake: Some students may incorrectly choose 'the constitution', thinking of it only as a set of rules, but it also serves as a powerful symbol of a nation's fundamental laws and identity.

Political socialization is the process of learning and developing political beliefs and values. The family, schools, and peer groups are all key agents that actively teach and influence our political views. The constitution, on the other hand, is a formal document that contains the rules and principles of a country; it is a product of the political culture, not an active agent that socializes individuals.

Common mistake: A student might mistakenly choose 'peer group', thinking that friends are only for social matters and underestimating their powerful influence on shaping political opinions and attitudes.

Pressure groups are organisations that try to influence government policies. They use legal methods like propaganda to spread their ideas, lobbying to talk directly to lawmakers, and boycotts to apply economic pressure. Assault, which is physical violence, is a criminal act and not a legitimate or accepted tactic for a pressure group to use.

Common mistake: Students might confuse the actions of radical extremists with standard pressure group tactics, but assault is a crime, not a legitimate political strategy.

The question asks you to identify the country that is not an Anglophone (English-speaking) nation located in West Africa. Ghana, Nigeria, and The Gambia are all former British colonies located in the West African sub-region. Kenya is also a former British colony and is Anglophone, but it is geographically located in East Africa. Therefore, Kenya is the correct answer because it is not in West Africa.

Common mistake: Students may get confused because all the countries listed are Anglophone (English-speaking), but they forget to consider the geographical requirement that the country must also be in West Africa.

The question tests knowledge of prominent Nigerians in international organizations. Chief Emeka Anyaoku served as the third Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 1990 to 2000. In this position, he was the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat and played a key role in global diplomacy, highlighting Nigeria's influence on the world stage.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Dr. Ibrahim Gambari because he is also a very prominent Nigerian diplomat, but his most notable international roles were with the United Nations, not the Commonwealth.

This question tests general knowledge about the African continent, which is the geographical context for the African Union (AU), a key international organisation. For a long period, the number of countries in Africa was officially cited as 53, which also corresponded to the membership of the AU at that time. This figure was a standard fact in the Government curriculum for many years, making it the expected answer in this examination context.

Common mistake: Students often get confused and choose fifty-five, which is the current number of member states in the African Union, but this question is likely from an older exam paper that used the previously established figure of fifty-three.

The formation of ECOWAS was a major diplomatic effort in the 1970s. The main driving forces behind its creation were Nigeria's Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and Togo's President, Gnassingbé Eyadéma. They both worked together to convince other West African leaders to join, which eventually led to the signing of the Treaty of Lagos in 1975.

Common mistake: Students might choose Nigeria and Ghana because both are prominent English-speaking countries in West Africa, but the key partnership for creating ECOWAS was between Nigeria and the French-speaking nation of Togo.

The Treaty of Lagos, which established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was signed on May 28, 1975. Since this correct date is not listed among options A, B, and C, the correct answer is 'none of the above'. This question tests your specific knowledge of the founding dates of major international bodies Nigeria belongs to.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A because the day and month (28th May) are correct, but they forget that the correct year is 1975, not 1974.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established by its founding treaty, which is officially known as the Treaty of Lagos. This treaty was signed in Lagos, Nigeria, on May 28, 1975. Therefore, Lagos is the correct city where the ECOWAS Treaty was signed.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose Abuja because it is the current capital of Nigeria and the location of the ECOWAS Commission headquarters, confusing it with the city where the founding treaty was signed.

Capitalism is an economic and political ideology where trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. A core principle of this system is the free market, which involves minimal government interference in economic activities. Free trade, the buying and selling of goods without government restrictions like tariffs, is a fundamental aspect of this free market, making it the basis of a capitalist state.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'creating job opportunities' because while job creation can be a positive outcome of capitalism, it is a result of the system, not its foundational principle like free trade.

In Government, power is defined as the ability to influence or control the actions of others, often making them do things they wouldn't normally do. This means power exists as a capacity and within relationships between people or groups. Power is an abstract concept, not a physical object that you can hold or touch, which is why 'an object' is the correct exception.

Common mistake: Students might get confused by option D, thinking of power as something a single person possesses, rather than as a dynamic that exists within a relationship between people or groups.

Every political system has three main functions carried out by its arms of government. The legislature performs rule-making (creating laws), the executive performs rule enforcement (implementing laws), and the judiciary performs rule adjudication (interpreting laws and settling disputes). 'Rule transformation' is not a standard term for a basic function of a political system, making it the correct exception.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'rule adjudication' if the term is unfamiliar, not realizing it is the formal name for the function of the judiciary or courts.

Federal, unitary, and confederal are all types of government structures, defined by how power is shared between the central government and its component parts (like states). For example, Nigeria is a federal system, while the UK is a unitary system. 'Plural' is not a form of government; it is a term used to describe a society with many diverse groups and interests, a concept known as pluralism.

Common mistake: Students might be unfamiliar with the term 'confederal' and incorrectly choose it as the exception, not realizing it is a valid, though less common, system of government where component states hold most of the power.

A federal system of government is designed to bring together different, diverse groups into a single country. It achieves this by sharing power between a central government and component units (like states), allowing for 'unity in diversity'. This means various groups can maintain their unique identities while being part of one nation.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose option A because they confuse a federal system, where power is shared, with a confederal system, where the central government is deliberately made weak.

In a democratic government with separation of powers, the government is divided into three arms: the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. The Legislature's primary function is to make laws, while the Executive's function is to implement and enforce those laws. Therefore, enforcing the law is a duty of the executive arm, not the legislative arm.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose option C, associating the power of appointment solely with the executive, but they forget that the legislature has the crucial power to confirm many of these appointments.

The 1960 Independence Constitution was the first constitution in Nigeria to have a special chapter detailing the fundamental human rights of its citizens. This was a major feature included to protect individuals and address the fears of minority groups as Nigeria became an independent nation. While other constitutions established regions and legislatures, the specific inclusion of a bill of rights was a key characteristic of the 1960 constitution.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A because the 1960 constitution created a bicameral federal legislature, but they forget that the 1954 Lyttelton Constitution had already introduced bicameralism at the regional level.

Although Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, it was still a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of England as the Head of State. It was not until 1963 that Nigeria adopted its first Republican Constitution. This new constitution replaced the Queen with a Nigerian President as the ceremonial Head of State, officially making the country a republic.

Common mistake: The most common mistake is choosing 1960, as students often confuse the year of independence with the year Nigeria became a republic.

The correct answer is 1914 because this was the year that the British colonial administrator, Lord Frederick Lugard, merged the Northern Protectorate with the Southern Protectorate and the Colony of Lagos. This act, known as the amalgamation, created the single colonial entity of Nigeria. This was done primarily for administrative and economic reasons, such as using the richer south to financially support the north.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 1960 because it is the year of Nigeria's independence, another very important and frequently taught date in the country's history.

This question, although poorly phrased, refers to the era of regionalism in Nigeria before and shortly after independence. The constitutional developments of this period, such as the Richards and Macpherson Constitutions, established a structure based on three regions. The correct option, 'limited to the west', correctly describes the political influence of the Action Group (AG) party, which was the dominant party in the Western Region during this time.

Common mistake: Students might get confused by the unrelated options about globalization or fail to recall that the major political parties of the First Republic were strongly regional, not national, in their influence.