JAMB Government 1979 past questions and answers

Which of the following is not a fundamental human right?

1. A.Freedom of speech
2. B.Freedom of religion
3. C.Freedom of the press
4. D.Freedom of association
5. E.None of the above

Which of the following are pressure groups?

1. A.The Nigerian Chamber of Commerce
2. B.The Nigeria Union of Teachers
3. C.The National Union of Nigerian Students
4. D.All of the above
5. E.A and C

Pressure groups are really

1. A.nuisances which most governments would like to ignore
2. B.people with sinister motives who pretend to serve the public interest
3. C.greedy citizens who pursue purely selfish interests
4. D.organized bodies which try to influence legislation or government decisions in their favour
5. E.organized bodies that are vulnerable to giant companies who use them to promote their interests

The major role of national legislature is to

1. A.scrutinize and criticize the executive branch
2. B.step into political vacuum created by weak executives
3. C.expose and supervise the government
4. D.make laws for the general welfare of citizens
5. E.find ways and means to get money for governments

The essence of the United States of America's Constitution is that

1. A.it is based on the concept that all men are created equal and are endowed with rights
2. B.the Supreme Court is the most politically powerful branch of government in the country
3. C.it is a peculiarly North American document
4. D.it protects black Americans at all times
5. E.it provides checks and balances between the states and federal government and within the federal government

A constitution of any country is basically

1. A.a mere piece of paper
2. B.a guide to how the country should be governed
3. C.a document stating what the leaders should do
4. D.a document stating how to acquire power
5. E.C and D

In general, constitutions are designed to provide

1. A.legal remedies for all political problems
2. B.clear alternative to military take-overs of elected governments
3. C.general arrangements, rules and national objectives within which political activities are conducted
4. D.codes of ethics for politicians and punishment for those who break the laws of the land
5. E.rigid ideological frameworks for nations that operate the constitutions

The main function of the legislature is

1. A.to implement law
2. B.to enforce law
3. C.to make law
4. D.to interpret law
5. E.to nullify law

The franchise is

1. A.the receipt given to tax payers
2. B.an order of the court
3. C.the paper which a voter casts at elections
4. D.the right to vote
5. E.none of the above

A good example of a country with a largely unwritten constitution is

1. A.the United States of America
2. B.the Soviet Union
3. C.Nigeria
4. D.the United Kingdom
5. E.Sierra Leone

A Congressional bill can become a law without presidential assent when

1. A.the president is careless enough to forget to sign the bill into law within a certain number of days
2. B.a bill was, in the first instance, passed by both Houses of Congress with a two thirds majority
3. C.each of the two Houses voting with a two-thirds majority passes a bill which has been vetoed by the president
4. D.the country is at war
5. E.in none of the conditions stated above

The term rule of law means

1. A.nobody is above the law
2. B.everybody is equal before the law
3. C.we are being governed by lawyers
4. D.A and B above
5. E.none of the above

Another name for delegated legislation is

1. A.administrative legislation
2. B.executive legislation
3. C.subordinate legislation
4. D.all of the above
5. E.none of the above

Persons legally qualified to vote for parliamentary candidates form

1. A.public opinion
2. B.political parties
3. C.the electorate
4. D.the upper house
5. E.the executive

Separation of power is primarily a

1. A.means of ensuring parliamentary supremacy
2. B.restriction on the powers of the executive
3. C.device to limit the powers of the executive to enhance individual freedom
4. D.means of guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary
5. E.means of institutionalizing opposition

The distinction between a flexible and a rigid constitution is based on

1. A.entrenched clauses
2. B.distribution of powers
3. C.amendment procedure
4. D.written and unwritten aspects
5. E.whether it is unitary or federal

The primary obligation of citizenship is

1. A.loyalty to one's ethnic group
2. B.loyalty to the state and participation in the political process
3. C.loyalty to one's school and church
4. D.loyalty to one's local government council
5. E.voting during local government council elections

All federal systems of government have

1. A.flexible constitutions
2. B.industrialized economies
3. C.written constitutions
4. D.four layers of government
5. E.heads of states who are also heads of government

The independence of the judiciary can be best safeguarded by

1. A.the Public Service Commission
2. B.a charismatic leadership
3. C.a liberal government
4. D.a well informed public
5. E.a system of checks and balances

Which of the following governs a state in-between meetings of the legislature?

1. A.The Legislative Organ
2. B.The Upper House
3. C.The Lower House
4. D.The Executive
5. E.The Judiciary

When a government sincerely strives to make justice and fair treatment the foundations of law and order in its society we say that the government observes

1. A.the rule of Gerontocracy
2. B.the rule of Bureaucracy
3. C.the rule of Law
4. D.the iron rule of Oligarchy
5. E.the rule of Popular Sovereignty

The Legislature is

1. A.the body which administers the law
2. B.the body which makes law
3. C.a body of local government councils
4. D.the body which interprets the law
5. E.none of the above

The cabinet system of government embody the principle of separation of powers because

1. A.it does not encourage the appointment of a president
2. B.the Executive is not separate from the legislature
3. C.it gives less powers to a prime minister than a president
4. D.the Executive is not directly appointed by the electorate
5. E.the speaker controls the activities of the house

When we talk about adult male suffrage we mean

1. A.all adults can vote
2. B.all adult males can vote
3. C.all men who pay tax can vote
4. D.all adult males who pay tax can vote
5. E.all men can vote

Islam was introduced into Northern Nigeria

1. A.before the 13th century
2. B.in the 17th century
3. C.after the Jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio
4. D.by the British in the early 20th century
5. E.none of the above

Indirect Rule was introduced into Nigeria by

1. A.Dame Margery Perham
2. B.Sir Donald Cameron
3. C.Sir Frederick Lugard
4. D.Sir Authur Richards
5. E.The Sultan of Sokoto

The French pattern of colonial administration in West Africa

1. A.was basically the same as the British
2. B.had, as its primary objective, the development of the colonial territories
3. C.was based on the principle of assimilation
4. D.included the policy of Indirect Rule
5. E.involved the settlement of a very large number of French people in West Africa

Which of the following did not take part in the early nationalist movement of Nigeria?

1. A.The Lagos Weekly Record
2. B.Macaulay's National Democratic Party
3. C.The Nigerian Youth Movement
4. D.The Democratic Party of Nigeria and the Cameroons
5. E.The West African Pilot

In the pre-colonial Igbo political system, which of the following was the most democratic organ of government?

1. A.The Umuada
2. B.Eze
3. C.Izu
4. D.Oha-na-Eze
5. E.Otu-Ebiri

When was the emirate system of government introduced in Nigeria?

1. A.Nineteenth Century
2. B.Twentieth Century
3. C.Eighteenth Century
4. D.Seventeenth Century
5. E.Sixteenth Century

In the organization of British colonial rule in West Africa, which of these was the lowest level of government and administration?

1. A.The District Commissioner
2. B.The Lieutenant-Governor
3. C.The Chief Secretary
4. D.The Provincial Commissioner
5. E.The Governor

The colonial administration in Nigeria was

1. A.authoritarian
2. B.democratic
3. C.development-oriented
4. D.dominated by Nigerians
5. E.none of the above

The system of Indirect Rule failed in the former Eastern Nigeria primarily because

1. A.of the fragmented political structures
2. B.the Chiefs refused to co-operate with colonial officers
3. C.of the high incidence of taxation
4. D.the colonial officers imposed warrant chiefs on the people
5. E.of the forced labour

The three largest political parties in Nigeria between 1951 and 1966 were

1. A.Northern People's Congress (NPC), Action Group (AG), Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU)
2. B.United National Independent Party (UNIP), National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), and NPC
3. C.NCNC, NPC, and AG
4. D.Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), AG and NEPU
5. E.United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), NPC and NCNC

Which of the following people was one of the founding members of the National Congress of British West Africa?

1. A.Bode Thomas
2. B.Osita Agwuna
3. C.Aminu Kano
4. D.Dr. Akiwande Savage
5. E.Nwafor Orizu

The Mid-Western Region was created in Nigeria in

1. A.1961
2. B.1962
3. C.1963
4. D.1964
5. E.1965

In Nigeria, appellate cases from Courts of Appeal go to

1. A.the Supreme Military Council
2. B.the Privy Council
3. C.the Supreme Court
4. D.the Judiciary Advisory Council
5. E.the House of Lords

Which UN organ has primary responsibility for the maintenance of world peace and security?

1. A.The General Assembly
2. B.The Secretariat
3. C.The International Court of Justice
4. D.The Economic and Social Council
5. E.The Security Council

Which is the supreme organ of the OAU?

1. A.The Council of Ministers
2. B.The Administrative Secretary General
3. C.The Assembly of the Heads of State and Government
4. D.None of the above
5. E.All of the above

Sir Henry Willinck of Britain was the chairman of a commission which investigated one of the following problems of Nigeria in 1958.

1. A.Commercial Banking Problems
2. B.Minority Problems and Fears
3. C.Problems of Political Parties
4. D.Problems of Public Corporations
5. E.Problems of Higher Education

The OAU has its headquarters in

1. A.Freetown
2. B.Dar es Salaam
3. C.Nairobi
4. D.Addis Ababa
5. E.Khartoum

Which of the following countries in West Africa has not experienced military intervention in politics?

1. A.Upper Volta
2. B.Sierra Leone
3. C.Mali
4. D.Ivory Coast
5. E.Togo

ECOWAS represents

1. A.the English-speaking equivalent of the Francophone economic community in West Africa
2. B.an attempt to progressively eliminate obstacles to free movement of goods, services and people throughout West Africa
3. C.the West African regional arm of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
4. D.a continent-wide economic dimension of Pan-Africanism
5. E.a concrete achievement by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

In the Oyo traditional political system, the Alaafin of Oyo was elected or chosen by a group known as

1. A.Tributary Chiefs
2. B.Bales
3. C.Obas
4. D.Ogboni
5. E.Oyomesi

Colonialism was successfully imposed on West Africa because

1. A.the colonial people thought colonialism was divinely inspired and therefore readily welcomed the imperial power with open arms
2. B.the colonial people believed the whiteman to be superior to the blackman and they were in Africa on a civilizing mission
3. C.the colonial people could not withstand the technological superiority of the colonial power
4. D.the colonial people believed they were being liberated from the autocratic rule of the indigenous ruling elite
5. E.all of the above

In the history of Nigeria, 1914 was the

1. A.year the British established their rule over Nigeria
2. B.beginning of the First World War
3. C.year Lugard effected the amalgamation of Nigeria
4. D.year the railway system was completed
5. E.year of the first election into the Legislative Council

Which of the leaders rejected Charles de Gaulle's Constitutional proposals in 1958?

1. A.Senghor
2. B.Sekou Toure
3. C.Houphouet-Boigny
4. D.Olympio
5. E.Diori

The first country in West Africa to become independent was

1. A.Nigeria
2. B.Guinea-Bissau
3. C.Ghana
4. D.Benin
5. E.Republic of Guinea

In their deliberations on the Sharia issue, the Constituent Assembly in Nigeria

1. A.threw out the entire issue from the proposed Constitution
2. B.accepted the recommendations of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC)
3. C.united the country over the issue of Sharia
4. D.accepted the principle of Sharia law and justice but modified the provision in the Draft Constitution
5. E.through its debate clearly educated the majority of the people of Nigeria on the principles of Sharia law and justice