WAEC Government 1989 Past Questions & Answers

Government is the agency or machinery through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed, and carried out. The state is the permanent political entity (a country), while the government is the specific group of people and institutions that run the state at any given time. Therefore, the primary purpose of government is to manage the affairs and resources of the entire state on behalf of its people.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'the civil service' because it is a key part of the government's machinery, but the civil service is a tool used by the government to manage the affairs of the entire state, not the entity being managed.

In government, there is a principle called separation of powers, which divides government into three arms. The Legislature makes the law, the Executive implements or carries out the law, and the Judiciary interprets the law. The Judiciary's main job is to explain what the law means and apply it to settle disputes, ensuring justice is done according to the law.

Common mistake: Students often confuse the roles of the different arms, commonly mistaking the Judiciary's role (interpreting law) with the Executive's role (implementing the law, option A).

During Nigeria's First Republic, which operated under the 1960 and 1963 constitutions, the country had a parliamentary system. In this system, the Prime Minister was the Head of Government, who presided over the cabinet and was considered 'first among equals'. The power to pardon offenders, known as the prerogative of mercy, is a function of the Head of State, a role held by the Governor-General and later the ceremonial President, not the Prime Minister.

Common mistake: Students may confuse the parliamentary system of the First Republic with the current presidential system, where the President holds both Head of State and Head of Government powers, including the prerogative of mercy.

The correct answer is 1967 because the twelve-state structure was created by General Yakubu Gowon's military government on May 27, 1967. This act replaced the four existing regions with twelve states. It was a significant event in the evolution of Nigeria's federal structure, done partly to address the fears of minority ethnic groups and to counter the secessionist threat from the Eastern Region just before the Civil War.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 1966 because they associate the event with General Gowon's rise to power, which happened in that year, but the states were actually created the following year.

The primary function of the legislature, which includes state legislators, is to make laws. This law-making process is not instant; it involves several stages like first reading, second reading, committee stage, and third reading. These stages are all part of a detailed 'process of deliberations' where the proposed law (a bill) is debated, amended, and carefully considered before it can be passed.

Common mistake: Students often confuse the role of the legislature (making laws) with the judiciary (interpreting laws), leading them to incorrectly choose option C.

In a parliamentary system, the executive branch (the Prime Minister and ministers) is drawn from the legislative branch (parliament). A key feature of this system is collective responsibility, which means all ministers are jointly accountable to the parliament for the government's policies and actions. If the government loses the support of the parliament, for example through a 'vote of no confidence', the entire cabinet of ministers must resign together.

Common mistake: Students often confuse the parliamentary system with the presidential system and might choose option D, not realizing that in a presidential system, ministers are not members of the legislature.

The principle of political equality means that all citizens should have equal political rights, especially the right to vote. When you have a 'restricted franchise,' it means some people are not allowed to vote based on criteria like property, race, or gender, which treats them as less equal than others. This directly violates the idea that every citizen's voice should count equally in an election.

Common mistake: Students might choose 'popular election' because a restricted franchise makes an election less popular, but the core principle being violated is the equal worth of each citizen's vote, which is political equality.

The Electoral Commission's main job is to manage everything related to conducting elections, such as registering voters, creating constituencies, and announcing results. However, it is not their responsibility to swear in elected officials after they have won. This duty is performed by the Clerk of the House for legislators, or the Chief Justice for the President, making it a legislative or judicial function.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option C, 'delimitation of constituencies,' because it is a technical term, but it is a core function of the electoral commission which involves dividing the country into voting areas.

Civic obligations are the duties and responsibilities a citizen owes to their country, such as obeying laws, paying taxes, and voting. In contrast, freedom of conscience and religion is a fundamental human right that the state must protect for its citizens. It is a freedom you are entitled to enjoy, not a duty you are required to perform.

Common mistake: Students sometimes confuse voting as an optional activity rather than a civic obligation, but it is widely considered a fundamental duty of a citizen in a democratic state.

The study of Government teaches you about your rights and duties, how to be a good citizen, and the processes of government. However, it is an academic subject and does not provide the specific professional training required to become a judge. To become a judge, a person must first study Law in a university and follow a career in the legal profession, which is a different field.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly think that because the judiciary is a topic in Government, studying the subject is a form of training to become a judge, but it only provides knowledge about the role, not the professional qualification for it.

The Clifford Constitution of 1922 is famous for introducing the elective principle into Nigerian politics for the very first time. This principle meant that some representatives in the Legislative Council could be chosen through voting by qualified Nigerians. The first elections under this new principle were held in 1923 in Lagos and Calabar, marking the beginning of voting in the country.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'decolonization' or 'self-government' because the elective principle was a step towards these goals, but the constitution itself only granted the specific right to vote, not full self-rule.

The United Nations (UN) Charter gives the Security Council the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. This special role allows it to take legally binding actions, such as imposing sanctions on a country that threatens peace. Other organs like the General Assembly can only make recommendations, not force members to act.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose the General Assembly because it includes all UN members, but its resolutions are only recommendations and are not legally binding on member states.

The correct answer is the Murtala/Obasanjo administration because they implemented the landmark 1976 Local Government Reforms. This reform created a uniform, single-tier system of local government throughout Nigeria for the first time. The goal was to make local government an effective third tier of government, bringing development closer to the people at the grassroots level.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose the Yakubu Gowon administration, confusing the 1976 local government reforms with the creation of 12 states in 1967, as both were significant structural changes carried out by military governments.

After the 1959 federal elections, no single political party won enough seats to form a government on its own. The Northern People's Congress (NPC), which won the highest number of seats, decided to partner with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). This partnership, called a coalition, allowed them to form the government that led Nigeria to independence in 1960.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option B because the NCNC and the AG were the two major southern-based parties, but they were actually rivals who formed an opposition alliance later, not the government coalition in 1959.

The 1960 Independence Constitution established Nigeria's federal structure, which included an Exclusive List for the central government and a Concurrent List for both central and regional governments. It also contained a detailed section on fundamental human rights. However, while the constitution allows for the existence of political parties through freedom of association, it does not explicitly define their roles and functions.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly believe that because political parties were vital for achieving independence, their specific roles must have been written into the constitution.

The right to vote is officially called the 'franchise'. The process of giving people this right is known as 'enfranchisement'. Therefore, the opposite process, which involves taking away or depriving a person of their right to vote, is correctly termed 'disenfranchisement'.

Common mistake: Students may confuse the correct answer with 'enfranchisement', which is its direct opposite and refers to the act of giving someone the right to vote.

A key principle of federalism is that the component units, like regions or states, should be relatively balanced in size and power to prevent one unit from dominating the others. During Nigeria's First Republic, the Northern Region was significantly larger in both population and landmass than the other regions combined, which gave it a predominant influence in the central government. This situation created a 'marked inequality' among the component units, which is a major weakness in a federal system.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option A because the dominance of one region did indeed hinder cooperation, but the fundamental federal principle that was violated was the need for a balance of power and the absence of such large inequalities between the units.

The term 'bicameralism' comes from the Latin words 'bi' meaning two, and 'camera' meaning chamber. Therefore, a bicameral legislature is a law-making body that is made up of two separate houses or chambers. For example, Nigeria's National Assembly is bicameral because it has both the Senate (the upper house) and the House of Representatives (the lower house). This system is designed to ensure laws are carefully considered before being passed.

Common mistake: Students often confuse bicameralism with its opposite, unicameralism (Option A), which describes a legislature with only a single chamber.

The 1960 Independence Constitution established a parliamentary system of government for Nigeria, with the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as the Head of State. She was represented by a Nigerian Governor-General, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. Because the monarch's powers were defined and limited by the constitution, she was a 'constitutional monarch', acting as a ceremonial head, not an absolute ruler.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'invested with executive power' because they confuse the ceremonial role of the Head of State with the powerful role of the Head of Government (the Prime Minister) in a parliamentary system.

The principle of separation of powers divides governmental authority into three branches: the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. While each branch has its own distinct powers and is independent, they must also work together and monitor each other to ensure the government functions effectively and no single branch becomes too powerful. This system of mutual monitoring is called 'checks and balances', which requires cooperation alongside independence.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose option A ('separately') because the name 'separation of powers' makes them focus only on the division, forgetting that the arms of government must cooperate to govern effectively.

In 1962, a major political crisis broke out in the Western Region due to a power struggle within the Action Group party. This led to a breakdown of law and order, prompting the Federal Government under Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa to declare a state of emergency. This was the first time the emergency powers granted by the 1960 Independence Constitution were ever used in Nigeria.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose the Mid-Western Region because it was created from the Western Region in 1963, but the emergency itself was declared over the whole Western Region in 1962.

Sovereignty is the supreme power of a state to govern itself without any external control. This means a sovereign state is independent and can make its own laws and decisions for its people and territory. Option D correctly describes this external aspect of sovereignty, where the government's decisions are made independent of foreign interference.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option B because freedom of speech is a desirable quality in a state, but it is a feature of democracy, not the core definition of sovereignty itself.

Political culture is defined as the shared attitudes, beliefs, and emotional orientations of a society towards politics and government. Therefore, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions are the core components that make up a country's political culture. Age, however, is a demographic or personal attribute of an individual and not a shared psychological orientation towards politics.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose 'Emotions' because they think politics should be purely rational, but strong feelings like patriotism or anger towards a policy are very much a part of a country's political culture.

Representative democracy is a system where citizens elect people to make decisions for them. For this system to work properly, the process of choosing these representatives must be fair, which is why free elections are essential. A proper register of voters ensures that only eligible citizens can vote, making the election credible and the representation legitimate.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option C because a politically educated electorate is ideal for a democracy, but it is not a defining requirement for the system to be classified as a representative democracy.

The Sokoto Caliphate, also known as the Fulani Empire, was divided into two administrative halves for effective governance. The Sultan of Sokoto was the overall head and directly supervised the eastern emirates, while the Emir of Gwandu supervised the western emirates. Therefore, the approval (ratification) for appointing or dismissing any emir had to come from either the Emir of Gwandu or the Sultan of Sokoto, depending on the location of the emirate.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose the Emirs of Kano and Katsina because they were very powerful and well-known emirates, but they did not hold the ultimate authority to ratify appointments across the empire.