47 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
A major issue that distinguishes pressure groups from political parties is
Answer: D (the objective.)
Political parties aim to win elections and take over government, while pressure groups only try to influence government policy. Their objectives are what set them apart.
Centralization of power is the basic feature of
Answer: A (a unitary government)
In a unitary government all power is held by one central government, which may delegate some of it to local units. Concentration of power at the centre is its main feature.
The structure of the civil service is based on
Answer: B (hierarchical organization)
The civil service is arranged as a hierarchy, with officers ranked from the top (permanent secretary) down to junior staff, each answering to the one above.
A law passed by the legislature and assented to by the executive is
Answer: D (an act.)
A bill becomes an act once the legislature passes it and the executive signs (assents to) it. Decrees are laws made by military governments.
A common feature of a multi-party system is that government is formed by
Answer: B (a coalition of political parties)
With many parties, one party rarely wins an outright majority, so two or more parties often join together in a coalition to form the government.
A major way of maintaining confidence in the electoral process is by ensuring that
Answer: C (elections are conducted in a free and fair atmosphere)
People trust elections when voters can choose freely and the counting is fair. Free and fair elections are the basis of confidence in the electoral process.
One of the features of a sovereign state is that it
Answer: D (has the capacity to defend itself from external aggression.)
A sovereign state is independent of outside control, which includes being able to protect its territory from attack by other states.
Proportional representation is a system of allocating seats in the legislature based on
Answer: C (total votes in an election)
Under proportional representation each party gets seats in proportion to the share of the total votes it won.
One major factor that differentiates the presidential from the parliamentary system is
Answer: B (separation of powers)
The presidential system separates the executive from the legislature, while the parliamentary system fuses them, since ministers are also members of parliament.
One major disadvantage of public opinion is that
Answer: D (a vocal minority claims to represent the majority.)
What is presented as public opinion is often the view of a loud, organised minority that claims to speak for everyone, which can mislead government.
The absence of the rule of law in government will bring about
Answer: C (human rights abuse)
The rule of law protects citizens from arbitrary action by government. Without it, rulers act as they like and citizens' rights are abused.
Oligarchy is a form of government which
Answer: D (enhances the interest of the ruling few.)
Oligarchy is rule by a small group, and it tends to serve the interests of that small ruling group rather than the whole population.
A major consequence of proportional representation is that it
Answer: C (encourages the proliferation of parties)
Because even small parties win some seats under proportional representation, many parties are formed and survive.
The principle of checks and balances reinforces separation of powers in order to
Answer: C (prevent the emergence of dictatorship)
Each arm of government can limit the others, so no single person or organ can gather all power and become a dictator.
To qualify for absorption into the administrative cadre of the civil service in Nigeria, an applicant must be
Answer: D (a holder of a first university degree.)
Entry into the administrative (policy-making) class of the Nigerian civil service requires at least a first university degree.
The final interpretation of the provisions of a federal constitution is vested in the
Answer: C (highest court of the land)
In a federation the highest court (in Nigeria, the Supreme Court) is the final interpreter of the constitution and settles disputes between the levels of government.
The delineation of constituencies is a major duty of the
Answer: B (electoral commission)
In Nigeria the electoral commission (now INEC) divides the country into constituencies for elections, subject to approval by the National Assembly.
Delegated legislation becomes unavoidable when
Answer: B (issues under consideration are technical)
Lawmakers often lack the expert knowledge for technical matters, so they pass the power to make detailed rules to ministers, agencies or experts.
Citizenship in a modern state expresses the status of a person who possesses
Answer: D (full political rights.)
A citizen is a full member of the state who enjoys all its rights, including political rights such as voting and standing for election.
The application of the principle of separation of powers seems impracticable because power is
Answer: B (fused)
In practice the work of the three arms overlaps, and power is often fused (for example, the executive makes delegated laws), so complete separation is impossible.
The greatest criticism of the Security Council of the UNO is that it
Answer: C (has exclusive veto power)
The five permanent members can each block any decision with their veto, which critics see as undemocratic and the Council's biggest weakness.
Which of the following is a founding member of OPEC?
Answer: B (Venezuela)
OPEC was founded in Baghdad in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nigeria joined later, in 1971.
The United Nations charter is an instrument that
Answer: B (sets out the rights and obligations of member states)
The Charter is the founding document of the UN; it lays down its aims, its organs and the rights and duties of member states.
The most active organ of the Economic Community of West African States is the
Answer: B (Authority of Heads of State and Government)
The Authority of Heads of State and Government is the supreme organ of ECOWAS; it takes the main decisions and directs the community.
The group of states that conceived the idea of the United Nations Organization included
Answer: D (the USA, the USSR, the UK and China.)
The UN was planned during the Second World War by the Allied powers: the USA, the USSR, Britain and China (for example at Dumbarton Oaks, 1944). Italy and Japan were enemy powers.
The body set up to review the revenue allocation formula in 1980 was the
Answer: C (Okigbo Commission)
The Okigbo Commission (1980), chaired by Pius Okigbo, reviewed revenue allocation under the Second Republic. Dina was 1968; Udoji and Adebo dealt with the public service and wages.
The main function of the Code of Conduct Bureau is to
Answer: C (ensure accountability in government business)
The Code of Conduct Bureau collects asset declarations from public officers and checks their conduct, to keep them honest and accountable.
In Nigeria, the Council of State was first created by
Answer: B (General Murtala Muhammed)
The National Council of States was set up in 1975 under General Murtala Muhammed's regime, alongside the Supreme Military Council and Federal Executive Council.
Nigeria formally became a federation in
Answer: B (1960)
A federal structure was first introduced by the 1954 Lyttelton Constitution (not an option); Nigeria became an independent sovereign federation in 1960, which is the best of the dates given.
The fees collected by local governments at motor parks represent
Answer: D (levies)
Motor park fees are levies: small charges that local councils collect from operators as one of their sources of internal revenue.
Legislative control of public corporations in Nigeria is effected through
Answer: D (acts of the National Assembly.)
Public corporations are created by acts of the legislature, and the legislature controls them through those acts, which set their powers, funding and duties.
The first Nigerian constitution to provide for the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy was the
Answer: D (1979 Constitution.)
The 1979 Constitution was the first to include a chapter on Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy; the 1989 and 1999 Constitutions copied it.
The constitution that introduced restricted franchise into Nigerian politics was the
Answer: B (Clifford Constitution)
The 1922 Clifford Constitution introduced the elective principle, but only adult males in Lagos and Calabar earning at least £100 a year could vote, a restricted franchise.
Under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the power to create local governments is vested in the
Answer: D (state assembly)
Under section 8 of the 1999 Constitution a new local government area is created by a law of the State House of Assembly, after which the National Assembly makes the consequential amendment.
The two military coups that toppled civilian regimes in Nigeria were those of
Answer: C (January 1966 and December 1983)
January 1966 ended the First Republic (Balewa) and December 1983 ended the Second Republic (Shagari). The other coups overthrew military governments.
The emirate system of administration can be likened to a
Answer: C (unitary system of government)
Power in an emirate was centralised in the Emir, who controlled the district heads and officials, much like the single centre of power in a unitary system.
The main legislative body in Nigeria between 1966 and 1975 was the
Answer: B (Supreme Military Council)
Under Ironsi and Gowon the Supreme Military Council was the highest law-making body, making decrees. The AFRC (1985) and PRC (1993) came later.
The leading agent in the expansion of British influence in Northern Nigeria in the 1890s was the
Answer: B (Royal Niger Company)
George Goldie's Royal Niger Company held a royal charter from 1886 and signed treaties and fought campaigns in the North until the British government took over in 1900.
The main duty of the Local Government Service Commission is to
Answer: B (supervise and manage the affairs of local governments)
The Local Government Service Commission oversees local government staff and their affairs; creating councils and conducting elections are done by other bodies.
In pre-colonial Igbo society, decisions on public issues were reached mainly through
Answer: D (consensus.)
Igbo society was decentralised and republican; issues were discussed in village assemblies until general agreement (consensus) was reached.
The Ibadan Conference of 1950 was convened to discuss the provisions of the
Answer: B (Macpherson Constitution)
The 1950 Ibadan General Conference discussed proposals for a new constitution to replace Richards's, and its recommendations became the 1951 Macpherson Constitution.
Nigeria's active role in the liberation of some countries in Southern Africa earned her
Answer: C (the status of a frontline state)
Although far from Southern Africa, Nigeria gave so much support against apartheid and colonial rule there that it was treated as a frontline state.
Nigeria's membership of the ECOWAS is informed by her desire to
Answer: C (promote economic integration)
ECOWAS was formed in 1975, with Nigeria as a leading founder, to promote economic integration and cooperation among West African states.
Which of these international finance agencies is Nigeria a member of?
Answer: A (The International Monetary Fund)
Nigeria is a member of the IMF. The Paris and London Clubs are groups of creditors (lenders) to whom Nigeria owed debts, not clubs it belongs to.
An attribute that Nigeria shares with most non-aligned countries is
Answer: A (the state of her economy)
Most non-aligned countries are developing countries, and Nigeria shares their developing (Third World) economic condition.
Professor Ibrahim Gambari is the Special Assistant to the United Nations Secretary General on
Answer: D (African affairs.)
At the time Professor Gambari was the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Africa. He later held other UN posts.
Who among the following served as Secretary General of OPEC?
Answer: C (Rilwanu Lukman)
Dr Rilwanu Lukman, a former Nigerian petroleum minister, served as Secretary General of OPEC in the 1990s and early 2000s.