WAEC Government 1993 past questions and answers

Oligarchy is rule by a small group who govern mainly for their own benefit. Plutocracy is rule by the rich, and autocracy is rule by one person.

A citizen's main duty is to carry out his civic responsibilities to the state, such as obeying the law, paying taxes and voting. The other options are only parts of this or not duties at all.

Rights are claims that the law recognises and protects. A demand that the law does not back is not a right, so rights are the claims the law allows a person to make against the state.

The legislature can question and demand a review of executive actions through debates, questions and investigations. It does not promote, dismiss or pay ministers directly.

Marx saw socialism as the stage after capitalism in which workers control production, leading finally to a classless communist society.

If judges cannot be removed at will, they can judge cases without fear of losing their jobs. Security of tenure is a key condition for judicial independence.

Great Britain's constitution is not contained in one document; it comes from statutes, conventions, judicial decisions and customs, so it is called unwritten.

A rigid constitution can only be changed through a special, difficult procedure (such as a two-thirds majority), unlike a flexible one that is amended like an ordinary law.

Democracy works by majority rule: decisions follow what most people want, while minority rights are protected. Not all citizens can vote (children cannot), and no freedom is absolute.

Social justice means treating all citizens fairly in the sharing of the benefits and burdens of society.

Civil servants, retired soldiers, magistrates and clergy are ordinary adult citizens who may vote. A certified (undischarged) bankrupt is the one the question treats as disqualified, since bankruptcy is a standard legal disqualification in Nigerian electoral law.

Under collective responsibility every minister must publicly support cabinet decisions, so a minister cannot freely pursue his own ideas. This discourages individual initiative.

Delegated legislation lets ministers and other bodies make rules, taking over part of the law-making work that belongs to parliament.

In a unitary state all power belongs to the central government; any local units get powers only by delegation, not by a constitutional sharing of power.

With many parties, different groups and opinions have a chance to form or join a party and be represented, though success is not guaranteed.

Equality before the law means the law is 'no respecter of persons': it treats everyone the same regardless of rank or wealth, which is what option A is trying to say.

Ultra vires means 'beyond the powers'. An action done beyond the powers given by law is declared illegal, null and void.

Giving voters money or gifts to win their votes (vote buying) is a form of electoral malpractice. Gerrymandering is the unfair drawing of constituency boundaries.

A party system actually encourages participation by giving people organisations to join. Ignorance, apathy, fear and intimidation keep people away from politics.

Freedom of association lets people come together to form parties, unions and interest groups to pursue shared aims.

Local government areas are divided into wards, and each ward elects a councillor.

Parties aggregate and express interests, unite people and mobilise them. Drafting a constitution is done by a constitution drafting committee or constituent assembly, not by a party.

Legitimately, a party wins elections by presenting a programme (manifesto) that voters find good and acceptable.

When the Oyo Mesi lost confidence in an Alaafin, they rejected him by sending him an empty calabash (or parrot's eggs), meaning he had to commit suicide.

The 1988 Constituent Assembly had 567 members: 450 elected by local government councils acting as electoral colleges, and the rest nominated by the government.

Lugard amalgamated the North and South in 1914 mainly for administrative and economic convenience: the South's revenue could support the poorer North under one administration.

Sir James Robertson was Governor-General from 1955 until independence in 1960. Azikiwe was the first Nigerian Governor-General, after independence.

Nationalists often by-passed the colonial governors and sent delegations directly to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, e.g. the NCBWA in 1920 and the NCNC in 1947.

The Mid-Western Region was carved out of the Western Region in 1963, giving Nigeria four regions (North, East, West and Mid-West).

Legitimacy is the people's acceptance that those in power have the right to rule them.

Nigerian nationalists used newspapers such as the Lagos Daily News and the West African Pilot to criticise colonial rule and spread nationalist ideas.

The National Congress of British West Africa (1920) was led by J. E. Casely Hayford of the Gold Coast, not Macaulay. Macaulay founded the NNDP and the Lagos Daily News and co-founded the NCNC.

The Richards Constitution kept the elective principle only for Lagos and Calabar; most unofficial members were nominated, so ordinary Nigerians had little say.

Assimilation aimed to turn Africans into Frenchmen and to treat the colonies as part of France in administration, politics and culture.

Under indirect rule traditional rulers worked with the colonial government and often opposed the educated nationalists who threatened their position.

Under the 1960 independence constitution appeals could still go from the Federal Supreme Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London; this ended in 1963.

From 1960 to 1963 Nigeria was a dominion: the British Queen remained Head of State, represented by a Governor-General. Balewa was Prime Minister (head of government).

Registration of births, deaths and marriages is a local government function. Company tax and import duties are federal, and parties are regulated by the electoral body.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority is a parastatal (public corporation), not a ministry or department of the civil service.

A key duty of senior civil servants is to give ministers expert advice when policies are being made, and then to carry the policies out. Being non-partisan is a principle of conduct rather than a duty.

Rigged elections cause crises that soldiers often use as an excuse to seize power. Free and fair elections remove that excuse.

Military regimes rule by decree, are undemocratic and autocratic, and usually promise to hand over power. They are not by nature benevolent.

In September 1987 the Babangida government created Katsina and Akwa Ibom states, raising the number of states from 19 to 21.

Non-alignment means Nigeria does not take sides with the Western or Eastern bloc but judges each international issue on its merits, i.e. objectively.

Nigeria's security and progress are tied to those of other African states, so Nigeria works for the freedom and development of Africa as a whole.

ECOWAS was set up in 1975 for economic co-operation and integration. Raising the political consciousness of citizens is not one of its aims.

Language differences cause some inconvenience, but the serious problems of ECOWAS are economic: similar primary products, dependence on outside economies and different currencies.

Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was the leading champion of African unity, and his campaign led to the founding of the OAU in 1963. (The OAU was replaced by the African Union in 2002.)

ECOMOG was formed in 1990 to stop the civil war in Liberia.

Because any permanent member can block a decision, action on major issues needs the big powers to agree, which avoids the UN acting against a great power.

The Uniting for Peace resolution was passed by the General Assembly in November 1950, during the Korean War, so the Assembly could act when the Security Council was blocked by a veto.

The WHO is a specialised agency of the UN, not one of its six principal organs.

Appointment of judges by the executive, so judges may favour those who appointed them
Removal or threat of removal of judges, or forced retirement
Control of the judiciary's funds, salaries and facilities
Control of promotions and transfers of judges and magistrates
Prerogative of mercy: pardoning people the courts have convicted
Ignoring or refusing to carry out court orders
Ouster clauses in decrees that stop courts from hearing some cases (under military rule)
Setting up special tribunals outside the regular courts

Give at least five clear ways, each explained in a sentence or two.

(a) Legal sovereignty: the authority recognised by law to make laws that courts enforce (e.g. parliament / the legislature)
Political sovereignty: the power of the electorate (people) who choose and remove the law-makers through votes; the power behind the legal sovereign
(b) Limits: the constitution (supremacy of the constitution)
International law and treaties
Membership of international organisations (UN, OAU/AU, ECOWAS, Commonwealth)
Dependence on foreign aid and loans; pressure from powerful states
Public opinion, customs and traditions, religion
Pressure groups
Military coups and internal unrest

Define both terms clearly before listing at least four limiting factors.

Voluntary renunciation of the citizenship
Acquiring or keeping the citizenship of another country (dual citizenship where not allowed)
Disloyalty: acts or words showing disloyalty to the state
Conviction for treason, sedition or espionage
Being sentenced to a long term of imprisonment (e.g. three years or more) within a set period (e.g. seven years) after naturalisation
Citizenship obtained by fraud, false statement or concealment of facts
Helping an enemy in time of war

Name the method and add a short explanation for each.

Reduce political interference in their running
Appoint board members and managers on merit, not patronage
Employ qualified professional and technical staff and train them
Give enough autonomy and adequate funding
Charge economic prices / commercialise where possible
Fight corruption and wastage; regular auditing
Reduce red tape and bureaucracy
Improve conditions of service to motivate staff
Break unnecessary monopoly so competition improves service
Proper supervision by the minister and legislature

Each measure should be linked to the problem it solves.

Explain rule of law (supremacy of law, equality before the law, protection of rights)
Limits in practice: immunity of the President/Governors and diplomats from prosecution
Poverty: the rich can afford good lawyers and bail, the poor cannot
Illiteracy and ignorance of rights
Delays and cost of justice
Military rule: suspension of the constitution, decrees and ouster clauses
Corruption and influence of the powerful in courts and police
Emergency powers and detention without trial
Administrative discretion and delegated legislation
Privileges of legislators (e.g. immunity for statements in the house)

Start by stating the principle, then explain the exceptions with examples.

Religious authority: rulers were seen as sacred or representatives of the gods/ancestors (e.g. Alaafin, Oba)
Control of land: the ruler held land in trust and allocated it
Making laws and settling disputes through traditional courts; punishment of offenders
Use of armies, palace guards and messengers
Appointment of chiefs, title holders and officials loyal to the ruler (e.g. Emir appointing district heads)
Taxation and tribute (e.g. jangali, zakat, kudin kasa)
Secret societies and age grades enforcing rules (e.g. Ogboni, Ekpe)
Use of customs, taboos and oaths

Give examples from named societies (Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ashanti).

Indirect Rule ruled through traditional rulers; assimilation largely replaced them with French officials (chiefs as mere agents)
Indirect Rule preserved local customs, language and culture; assimilation tried to make Africans French in language, culture and law
British colonies were administered separately; French colonies were integrated with France (federations of AOF/AEF)
Assimilated Africans became French citizens and could elect deputies to the French parliament; British subjects had no seats in the British parliament
Indirect Rule used native courts and native treasuries; assimilation applied French law (with indigénat for subjects)
Similarities: both aimed at exploiting colonies, both used some Africans as agents, both kept final power with the European officials

Arrange the answer point by point, comparing both systems on each feature.

Objectives: contest elections into the Lagos Legislative Council and Lagos Town Council
Work for self-government for Lagos and political rights for Nigerians
Promote higher education and Africanisation of the civil service
Promote free and compulsory education, better health and economic development
Protect the rights and interests of the people of Lagos (e.g. the House of Docemo)
Achievements: first political party in Nigeria, founded by Herbert Macaulay
Won all the elective seats in the Legislative Council in 1923, 1928 and 1933
Dominated Lagos politics until 1938, when it lost to the Nigerian Youth Movement
Created political awareness and used the Lagos Daily News to criticise colonial rule
Later joined in forming the NCNC (1944)

Split the answer clearly into objectives and achievements.

Background: the federal election of December 1964 was contested by two alliances, the NNA (NPC and NNDP) and the UPGA (NCNC, AG and others)
The UPGA boycotted the election in many areas, especially in the East, after alleging rigging and intimidation
Constitutional crisis: President Azikiwe at first hesitated to ask Balewa to form a government
Widespread violence, arson and loss of life
Loss of confidence in the electoral body and democracy
Increased ethnic and regional hostility
Set the stage for the rigged 1965 Western Region election, the breakdown of law and order and the military coup of January 1966, which ended the First Republic

Show cause and effect, ending with the collapse of the First Republic.

Member states kept their full sovereignty and independence
Membership was voluntary and states could withdraw
The OAU had no power to tax citizens; it depended on contributions from member states
No army or police of its own; it relied on members for peace-keeping
Decisions were by agreement of the Heads of State; resolutions were not binding and could not be enforced on member states
The central organs (Assembly, Council of Ministers, Secretariat) were weak and their powers came from the member states
No direct relationship with citizens of member states
(The OAU was replaced by the African Union in 2002.)

Define a confederation first, then link each OAU feature to it.