48 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
The civil service cadre responsible for the general supervision and control of ministries is the
Answer: A (administrative)
The administrative class (e.g. permanent secretaries and directors) advises on policy and supervises and controls the work of ministries.
A disadvantage of the one-party system is that it
Answer: B (negates freedom of association)
When only one party is allowed, citizens cannot freely form or join other parties, so freedom of association is denied.
Citizenship refers to the
Answer: D (legal status of a member of a state)
Citizenship is the legal status of being a full member of a state, with its rights and duties. It can also be acquired by registration or naturalization, not only by birth.
The rule of law is a cardinal principle associated with
Answer: A (democratic systems)
In a democracy rulers are bound by the law and citizens are equal before it, so the rule of law is a basic democratic principle.
The main function of public opinion is to
Answer: B (provide direction for public policy)
Public opinion tells government what the people want, guiding (giving direction to) the policies it makes.
A typical form of delegated legislation is
Answer: C (bye-law)
Bye-laws are made by local councils and other bodies under powers given to them by the legislature, so they are delegated legislation.
A referendum is a device to ensure that
Answer: D (decisions are effected with the consent of citizens)
In a referendum an important question is put directly to the voters, so the decision is taken with the citizens' consent.
One main weakness of a unitary system of government is that
Answer: A (it facilitates the domination of minority groups)
With all power at the centre, the majority group can easily dominate minority groups, who have no regional government of their own to protect them.
Pressure groups harmonize different individual concerns through interest
Answer: B (aggregation)
Combining many different individual demands into one common position is called interest aggregation.
The act of removing an elected official by the electorate is referred to as
Answer: D (recall)
Recall lets voters remove their elected representative before the end of his term. Impeachment is removal by the legislature.
One of the major sources of a constitution is
Answer: A (judicial precedence)
Court decisions on constitutional matters (judicial precedents) become part of the constitution, especially in countries like Britain.
A characteristic of public opinion is that it is
Answer: C (dynamic)
Public opinion keeps changing as events and information change, so it is dynamic.
Coalition government arises when
Answer: B (no party has a majority in parliament)
If no single party wins a majority of seats, two or more parties join together to form a government with a majority. This is a coalition.
One of the central tenets of the fascist doctrine is that the leader is
Answer: A (supreme relative to the constitution)
Fascism puts the leader above everything else, including the constitution and the law.
Which of the following electoral bodies in Nigeria conducted elections from 1979 to 1983?
Answer: D (Federal Electoral Commission)
FEDECO, set up in 1978, ran the 1979 and 1983 elections. NEC came under Babangida, NECON under Abacha and INEC from 1998.
Constitutionalism refers to the
Answer: C (adherence to a constitution)
Constitutionalism means government sticks to (adheres to) and is limited by the constitution.
Under a presidential system of government, the legislature and the executive are
Answer: A (elected separately to a fixed term)
In a presidential system the president and the legislators are chosen in separate elections for fixed terms, e.g. four years.
Separation of powers is a principle which enables each arm of government to
Answer: C (carry out its constitutional functions)
Separation of powers gives each arm its own functions, so each can carry out its constitutional duties without interference from the others.
The main attributes of a state are
Answer: A (population, territory, government and sovereignty)
A state must have people (population), a defined territory, a government and sovereignty.
The General Purpose Committee of the local government functions as a
Answer: B (cabinet of the local government)
The General Purpose Committee, made up of the chairman and supervisory councillors, acts as the local government's cabinet, taking key executive decisions.
Nigeria observed the principle of collective responsibility between
Answer: D (1960 and 1966)
Collective responsibility is a feature of the parliamentary system, which Nigeria used from 1960 to 1966.
The political party with the widest spread of membership in Nigeria during the Second Republic was the
Answer: C (NPN)
The NPN won elections in more states across all regions in 1979 and was the only party to meet the spread requirement for the presidency outright.
Military intervention in Nigeria arose from
Answer: A (perceived incapacity of civilians to govern)
Coup leaders justified their takeovers by pointing to civilian corruption, rigged elections and disorder, i.e. the belief that civilians could not govern well.
Federalism was introduced in Nigeria under the
Answer: B (Lyttleton Constitution)
The 1954 Lyttleton Constitution made Nigeria a true federation, dividing power between the central government and the regions.
Regional consciousness in Nigeria was introduced by the
Answer: D (Richards Constitution)
The 1946 Richards Constitution created three regions with their own assemblies, which encouraged people to think and act regionally.
How many states were created in Nigeria in 1967?
Answer: C (12)
In May 1967 Gowon replaced the four regions with twelve states.
The day-to-day operation of public corporations is the direct responsibility of the
Answer: A (management)
The board of directors makes broad policy. The management, headed by the managing director or general manager, runs the corporation from day to day.
Under the Independence Constitution of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was
Answer: B (Governor-General)
Under the 1960 constitution the Queen was head of state, and from November 1960 Azikiwe represented her as Governor-General. He became President when Nigeria became a republic in 1963.
Which of the following contributed greatly to the introduction of the Clifford Constitution?
Answer: D (National Congress of British West Africa)
The NCBWA (1920) demanded elected representation in the colonies. The 1922 Clifford Constitution responded by introducing the elective principle.
In Nigeria, the Local Government Service Commission is set up by the
Answer: C (state government)
Each state government sets up a Local Government Service Commission to handle the appointment and discipline of local government staff.
In the 1930s, the political movement that challenged the NNDP domination of Lagos politics was the
Answer: A (NYM)
The Nigerian Youth Movement defeated Macaulay's NNDP in the 1938 Lagos Town Council and Legislative Council elections. The AG, NPC and NCNC were formed later.
Residual powers in the 1979 Constitution of Nigeria were vested in the
Answer: B (state governments)
Residual matters are those not on the exclusive or concurrent lists. Under the 1979 Constitution only the state governments could make laws on them.
The Nigerian Public Complaints Commission as the Ombudsman suffers most from
Answer: D (lack of power to enforce its decisions)
The Public Complaints Commission can investigate and recommend, but it cannot enforce its findings. This limits its effectiveness.
A characteristic of most pre-colonial governments in Nigeria is that they
Answer: C (had no clear separation of powers)
In most traditional systems the same ruler or council made laws, carried them out and judged cases, so there was no clear separation of powers.
Prior to the formation of the OAU in 1963, Nigeria identified with the
Answer: A (Monrovia Group)
Nigeria joined the moderate Monrovia Group, which favoured gradual co-operation among independent states over Nkrumah's call (Casablanca Group) for immediate political union.
In 1991, the African Economic Community Treaty was signed in
Answer: B (Abuja)
The treaty establishing the African Economic Community was signed in Abuja, Nigeria, in June 1991, so it is known as the Abuja Treaty.
The first African Secretary-General of the United Nations is
Answer: C (Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali)
Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt was UN Secretary-General from 1992 to 1996. Kofi Annan of Ghana, the second African, followed him.
Nigerians opposed the Defence Pact with Britain at independence because it
Answer: D (offended their pride at independence)
Students and nationalists saw the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact as a threat to the country's newly won sovereignty and an insult to its independence. It was cancelled in 1962.
The Technical Aid Corps scheme in Nigeria aims at strengthening relations with
Answer: C (African countries)
Started in 1987, the Technical Aid Corps sends Nigerian professionals to serve in African (and other Caribbean and Pacific) countries to strengthen ties with them.
Nigeria's quest for a leadership role in Africa hinges principally on her
Answer: B (economic strength)
Nigeria's oil wealth and large economy give it the means to fund African causes, peace-keeping and aid. This supports its claim to leadership.
Nigeria's relations with African countries are underscored by its policy of
Answer: B (afrocentrism)
Afrocentrism, making Africa the centrepiece of foreign policy, shapes how Nigeria relates to other African states.
The foreign policy thrust of the Babangida administration was
Answer: A (economic diplomacy)
Under Babangida, foreign minister Ike Nwachukwu made economic diplomacy, using foreign relations to attract investment, trade and debt relief, the main focus of foreign policy.
One of the principal objectives of the OPEC is to
Answer: A (harmonize the oil policies of member countries)
OPEC's statute says its main aim is to co-ordinate and unify (harmonize) the petroleum policies of its members.
How many countries constitute the Economic Community of West African States?
Answer: A (16)
ECOWAS had 16 members when this paper was set. The number has since fallen: Mauritania left in 2000, and Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left in 2025.
The charter of the United Nations was drawn up in
Answer: D (San Francisco)
The UN Charter was drawn up and signed at the San Francisco Conference in June 1945.
The two leaders that played the most prominent roles in the formation of the ECOWAS were
Answer: B (Gowon and Eyadema)
General Gowon of Nigeria and General Eyadema of Togo led the moves that produced the ECOWAS treaty in Lagos in 1975.
The Secretary-General of the OAU is appointed by the
Answer: C (Assembly upon the recommendation of the Council)
The OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government appointed the Secretary-General, acting on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.
The approval of budgetary and financial matters in the United Nations is the responsibility of the
Answer: A (General Assembly)
Under the UN Charter, the General Assembly considers and approves the UN budget and decides how much each member pays.