JAMB Government 1997 past questions and answers

Authority refers to the

1. A.might to secure compliance from others within a given social setting
2. B.power to exercise might over others' behaviour
3. C.mandate to exercise power over others
4. D.ability to compel others to act in a particular way

Government is different from other political organizations because

1. A.it has legitimate power over citizens
2. B.its officials have fixed terms of office
3. C.it can punish those who violate its rules
4. D.it is made up of elected officials

Judicial independence in a modern democracy can be ensured by

1. A.the confirmation of the appointment of judges by the legislature
2. B.the provision that judges can only be removed from office by the president-in-council
3. C.making judges independent of the ministry of justice
4. D.safeguarding the security of tenure of judges

The official report of proceedings in parliament is known as the

1. A.hansard
2. B.diary of events
3. C.gazette
4. D.summary of proceedings

An important feature of the federal system of government is the existence of a

1. A.strong national legislature
2. B.president with veto power
3. C.court system with impartial judges
4. D.multiple tiers of government

An important aspect of an unwritten constitution is that it

1. A.is easy to understand by everybody
2. B.safeguards the monarchy
3. C.contains customary laws and conventions
4. D.is not easily amended

The ideology that advocates the complete control of the sources of power is

1. A.totalitarianism
2. B.socialism
3. C.liberalism
4. D.democracy

Shadow cabinet is associated with the

1. A.communist system
2. B.presidential system
3. C.parliamentary system
4. D.fascist system

One basic characteristic of parliamentary system of government is that the

1. A.upper and lower houses of the legislature have equal powers
2. B.cabinet is part of the legislature
3. C.prime minister is usually a member of the upper house
4. D.opposition party members are also included in the cabinet

In a presidential system, the theory of separation of powers is not absolute because the president

1. A.can declare a state of emergency
2. B.can be impeached by the court
3. C.assents to bills
4. D.can declare laws null and void

The principle of checks and balances is found mainly in

1. A.parliamentary system
2. B.presidential system
3. C.monarchies
4. D.oligarchies

During the second republic in Nigeria, the branch of the legislature responsible for ratifying presidential nominees for appointments was the

1. A.Senate
2. B.Council of States
3. C.House of Representatives
4. D.Public Service Commission

A tax law originates from

1. A.a private member's bill
2. B.an education tax bill
3. C.a judicial bill
4. D.a public bill

The order used by the court against unnecessary detention is

1. A.interlocutory injunction
2. B.habeas corpus
3. C.that of extradition
4. D.mandamus

When school pupils sing the national anthem and salute the flag, they are

1. A.performing their obligations as citizens
2. B.exercising their rights as citizens
3. C.practicing to be leaders of tomorrow
4. D.carrying out their responsibilities as citizens

A major duty of citizens is to

1. A.vote at elections
2. B.associate freely
3. C.pay taxes
4. D.join political parties

The simple plurality electoral system is often criticized because

1. A.the ruling party may lose the election
2. B.the winner may not poll an absolute majority
3. C.it works against all opposition parties
4. D.it is easy to rig

The process of dividing a country into electoral districts is known as

1. A.demarcation
2. B.delineation
3. C.delimitation
4. D.distribution

Political parties are formed essentially to

1. A.capture state power
2. B.replace bad governments
3. C.compete with the military for power
4. D.satisfy the needs of members

A systematic effort to manipulate the beliefs, attitudes and actions of the public through the mass media and other means is called

1. A.political education
2. B.public opinion
3. C.propaganda
4. D.brainstorming

In the Igbo political system, authority was shared among

1. A.men and women with Ozo titles
2. B.all age groups and warrant chiefs
3. C.elders of the community and Ofo title holders
4. D.title holders and age groups

The crucial check on an autocratic Oba in the pre-colonial Yoruba political system was

1. A.presenting to him a suicide symbol
2. B.avoiding the palace
3. C.sending him on exile
4. D.refusing to carry out his orders

A major feature of the system of government in the Sokoto Caliphate was that

1. A.it was based on customs and traditions
2. B.it was theocratic
3. C.it was democratic
4. D.power was effectively decentralized

The people of Southern Nigeria first came in contact with Europeans through

1. A.military expeditions
2. B.church missions
3. C.gunboat diplomacy
4. D.peaceful trade

Nigeria's first law-making body after the amalgamation was known as the

1. A.Nigerian Council
2. B.National Assembly
3. C.Nigeria National Assembly
4. D.Legislative Council

One major flaw of the British Indirect Rule in Nigeria was that the system

1. A.made use of traditional institution
2. B.championed ethnocentrism
3. C.encouraged the use of European administrators
4. D.was not centralized

The nationalist organization formed in Nigeria in the late 1930s was the

1. A.National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
2. B.Nigerian Youth Movement
3. C.Nigerian National Democratic Party
4. D.Action Group

In 1947, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe led a delegation to the British Colonial Office in London to protest against the

1. A.provisions of the Richards Constitution
2. B.appointment of Bernard Bourdillon as Governor-General
3. C.appointment of Oliver Lyttelton as colonial secretary
4. D.provision of the Macpherson constitution

Under the 1922 Clifford Constitution, franchise was granted in Calabar and Lagos to

1. A.all adults
2. B.male adults
3. C.persons with an annual income of at least £100
4. D.male adults with an annual income of at least £100

Under the 1979 Constitution in Nigeria, each state of the federation

1. A.had a bicameral legislature
2. B.had equal legislators in the House of Representatives
3. C.had an equal number of senators
4. D.was provided with a presidential liaison officer

Under the 1963 Republican Constitution, the power of judicial review was vested in the

1. A.supreme court
2. B.parliament
3. C.president
4. D.the chief justice of the federation

Between 1966 and 1975, the highest legislative body in Nigeria was the

1. A.Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
2. B.Supreme Military Council
3. C.Armed Forces Ruling Council
4. D.Provisional Ruling Council

Three important concepts associated with a well organized civil service are

1. A.meritocracy, neutrality and bureaucracy
2. B.general orders, confidentialism and red-tapism
3. C.neutrality, anonymity and impartiality
4. D.bureaucracy, confidentialism and general orders

The public agency now mandated to register births and deaths in Nigeria is the

1. A.National Civic Registration Commission
2. B.Civil Service Commission
3. C.Ministry of Health
4. D.National Population Commission

Under the Babangida administration, the political bureau recommended at the federal level,

1. A.unicameral legislature and multi-party system
2. B.bicameral legislature and multi-party system
3. C.unicameral legislature and two-party system
4. D.bicameral legislature and two-party system

The first political party that contested election in Nigeria after the Clifford Constitution was

1. A.Nigerian Youth Movement
2. B.National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
3. C.Northern People's Congress
4. D.Nigerian National Democratic Party

In Nigeria, functions shared by the central and state governments include

1. A.external representation, education and provision of water
2. B.construction of roads, defence and health
3. C.control of ports, health and education
4. D.education, provision of water and construction of roads

The creation of more states in Nigeria has

1. A.eliminated ethnic and religious conflicts
2. B.reduced the gap between rich and poor states
3. C.increased the powers of the federal government
4. D.increased the powers of the states and local governments

After the botched coup of January 1966, power was handed over to General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi by the

1. A.senate
2. B.president
3. C.house of representatives
4. D.council of ministers

Nigeria's major export commodities in the early years of her independence were

1. A.cocoa, groundnut and ginger
2. B.cocoa, rubber and benniseed
3. C.cocoa, palm oil and groundnut
4. D.rubber, kolanut and cotton

The foreign affairs minister who introduced economic diplomacy as a foreign policy initiative was

1. A.Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi
2. B.Major-General Ike Nwachukwu
3. C.Prof. Ibrahim Gambari
4. D.Major-General Joseph Garba

Non-alignment is no longer relevant in Nigerian foreign policy because

1. A.she is seen as the leader of Africa
2. B.her focus is now on Africa
3. C.of the formation of the ECOWAS
4. D.the cold war has ended

In 1978, the Obasanjo Administration nationalized the assets of the British Petroleum and the Barclays Bank in Nigeria in reaction to the British

1. A.monopoly of Nigeria's oil market
2. B.occupation of the Falkland Islands
3. C.continued trade links with South Africa
4. D.reluctance to write off Nigeria's debts

Nigeria broke diplomatic relations with France in 1961 because of

1. A.France's atomic test in the Sahara Desert
2. B.the poor relations of the Francophone countries with her
3. C.General de-Gaulle's negative attitude towards her
4. D.France's diplomatic relations with Israel

In 1993, Nigerian troops were on peace-keeping assignment to

1. A.Liberia and Burundi
2. B.Rwanda and Liberia
3. C.Chad and Liberia
4. D.Liberia and Somalia

Nigeria established a trust fund for other African countries with the

1. A.International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
2. B.Nigerian Industrial Development Bank
3. C.African Development Bank
4. D.Economic Commission for Africa

Nations join international organizations so that they could

1. A.advance their interests
2. B.get foreign aid
3. C.form alliances
4. D.become more developed

The organ of the UNO with full representation is the

1. A.Security Council
2. B.General Assembly
3. C.Trusteeship Council
4. D.International Court of Justice

Which of the following was the last to win independence from colonial rule?

1. A.Cote d'Ivoire
2. B.Algeria
3. C.Tanzania
4. D.Angola