WAEC Government 2002 past questions and answers

Socialism (leading on to communism) aims to abolish class differences by common ownership of the means of production.

Fascism began in Italy under Benito Mussolini in the early 1920s; Nazism in Germany came later.

Free and fair elections let the people choose and change their rulers, which is the heart of democracy.

Constitutionalism means government is limited by and conducted according to the law, so the law (constitution) is supreme.

Naturalization is the legal process by which a foreigner becomes a citizen.

Freedom of expression does not cover defaming others (slander, libel) or inciting against the state (sedition).

A political party seeks power to form the government; pressure groups only try to influence government.

The police enforce the law and the courts give redress when a person's rights are violated.

In a representative government the people hold final power and exercise it through representatives they elect.

In a confederation the member units keep their sovereignty and are more powerful than the weak central body.

Under simple majority the candidate with the highest votes wins, like the first runner past the finishing post.

The legislature delegates law-making power to the executive (ministers, agencies, local councils) to make rules and orders.

The executive makes policies and carries them out.

The presidential system separates the legislature, executive and judiciary; collective responsibility and parliamentary supremacy belong to the parliamentary system.

Parties gather (aggregate) the many interests in society into one programme; making laws, emergencies and interpretation belong to organs of government.

Checks and balances let each organ control the others, softening a strict separation of powers.

A coup d'etat is a violent seizure of power by soldiers, not a pressure-group method.

Rigging is an electoral malpractice, not a purpose of elections.

The legislature can impeach the president and the president can veto bills: both are presidential checks.

In a confederation the member states are stronger than the central authority.

In a republic the head of state is elected for a fixed term, unlike a hereditary monarch.

A referendum puts a political question directly to the voters.

Capitalism is based on private ownership of the means of production, so wealth gathers in private hands.

The constitution's Fourth Schedule gives local governments markets and motor parks; prisons and customs duties are federal.

Local councils collect rates (e.g. tenement rates); import, excise and company taxes are federal.

In a unitary state the central legislature creates local authorities and gives them their powers by law.

Civil servants work behind the scenes; the minister takes public credit or blame for policies.

Public corporations such as power and water boards provide essential services to the public.

Under military rule the federal government made decrees and state military governors made edicts.

Customs are traditional practices enforced by the community's disapproval rather than by courts.

Because production is for private profit, capitalism tends to produce wide gaps between rich and poor.

The committee examines the bill clause by clause and then reports back to the house: the report stage follows the committee stage.

Detente means the easing of tension between rival nations, as between the USA and USSR in the 1970s; the nearest option is a peace agreement.

The riot broke out when women believed a census of their property meant they were going to be taxed.

Britain and Israel have no single written constitutional document.

The Berlin Conference (1884–85) set rules for European powers to share out Africa.

The Loi Cadre (1956) was a framework law giving the French territories elected assemblies and wider self-government.

The indigenat let French officials punish Africans without trial, which was used to suppress nationalists.

Assimilation aimed to turn Africans into Frenchmen in language, culture and outlook.

Nationalists fought chiefly to end colonial rule and win independence.

Where there were no powerful chiefs (e.g. Igboland) the British imposed warrant chiefs, who were not accepted by the people.

Kingmakers chose a new ruler from the eligible royal families.

Senegal was French; The Gambia and Ghana were British and Liberia was never colonised.

Under the UN Charter (Article 25) all members agree to carry out the decisions of the Security Council; the ICJ's judgments bind only the parties to a case.

Every state's foreign policy is shaped mainly by its national interest.

Nigeria became a republic in October 1963 (on 1 October), with Nnamdi Azikiwe as President replacing the Queen.

The radical Casablanca Group led by Nkrumah wanted an immediate union government for Africa.

The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

(a) A state is an organised political community of people living in a defined territory, with a government and sovereignty, free from outside control.
(b) Features: population (people); defined territory; government; sovereignty (independence, supreme power); recognition by other states; permanence/continuity; laws and a constitution; monopoly of the use of force.

Define clearly, then explain each feature.

(a) The rule of law means the law is supreme, everyone is equal before the law and fundamental rights are protected; nobody is punished except for a breach of law proved in an ordinary court (Dicey).
(b)(i) Advantages (any two): checks arbitrary use of power; equal treatment of all citizens; protects rights and liberties; promotes stability and confidence in government; encourages accountability.
(b)(ii) Limitations (any two): immunities (diplomatic, presidential/governors', judicial, parliamentary); state of emergency or war; delegated legislation and administrative tribunals; military rule (decrees, ouster clauses); illiteracy and poverty of citizens; the cost and delay of court cases; privileges of some groups.

Give exactly two of each in (b).

Merits (any three): simple to understand and operate; results are quick and easy to count; cheap to run; usually produces a clear winner and stable government; avoids weak coalitions; links each representative clearly to a constituency, so he is accountable.
Demerits (any three): a candidate can win with fewer than half the votes; votes for losing candidates are wasted; small parties and minorities are under-represented; seat share may not match vote share; encourages gerrymandering; can encourage rigging and ethnic voting.

Three of each.

(a) Sovereignty is the supreme and final power of a state to make and enforce laws within its territory without control from any other body (internal), and its independence from other states (external).
(b) Limits (any five): the constitution; international law and treaties; membership of international organisations (UN, AU, ECOWAS); public opinion; pressure groups; foreign aid and debt (dependence on donors); customs and traditions; federalism (division of powers); the judiciary (judicial review); military and economic weakness; the power of multinational companies; religion.

Define, then list five limiting factors.

Uniform single-tier local government system for the whole country.
Local government recognised as the third tier of government.
Population of each council fixed roughly between 150,000 and 800,000.
Councillors to be elected; traditional rulers removed from partisan politics and given advisory roles (traditional councils).
Federal and state governments to give statutory grants/share of revenue to local councils.
Specific functions assigned to local governments (markets, motor parks, primary education, health centres, etc.).
Local Government Service Boards set up to handle staff; conditions of service harmonised with state and federal staff.
Chairmen and supervisory councillors made full-time officials.
States to set up Ministries/Departments of Local Government to supervise councils.

Explain about five reforms.

Defence of the community and fighting in wars.
Carrying out public works: clearing roads, building markets and town halls.
Maintaining law and order, policing and carrying out the decisions of elders.
Settling minor disputes among members.
Checking abuse of power by chiefs and elders.
Socialising young people into the community's customs.
Taking part in ceremonies and festivals.
Raising funds and helping members in need (social welfare).
Training future leaders.

Mainly Igbo (acephalous) societies; describe each function.

The Second World War: African soldiers saw that Europeans could be defeated, and the war weakened Britain and France.
The Atlantic Charter (1941) promised all peoples the right to self-determination.
The UN Charter and its anti-colonial stand; the Trusteeship system.
Independence of India and Pakistan (1947) and later Ghana (1957) inspired others.
Pressure from the USA and USSR against colonialism.
The British Labour Party's support for self-government.
The Pan-African movement (Pan-African Congresses, Garvey, Du Bois) and West African Students' Union.
Ideas of liberty and democracy learnt by Africans educated abroad.
Economic hardship in the colonies after the depression and war.

Highlight each factor briefly.

(Nigeria as example; any six) Ethnic rivalry and tribalism.
Struggle for power among the political elite; winner-takes-all politics.
Rigging and violence in elections (e.g. 1964 federal and 1965 Western Region elections).
Defective federal structure: Northern Region larger than the others together.
Census disputes (1962/63).
Corruption and mismanagement.
Military coups (January and July 1966) and the civil war.
Religious differences.
Economic problems: unemployment, poverty and unequal development.
Weak national leadership and lack of a national ideology.

Six reasons for one named country.

Made Nigeria a true federation of three regions plus Lagos as federal territory.
Divided powers into exclusive, concurrent and residual lists.
Regions got their own civil services, judiciaries and marketing boards (regional autonomy).
Created the offices of regional Premiers and turned Lieutenant-Governors into Governors and the Governor into Governor-General.
Nigerian ministers took charge of departments with full ministerial responsibility.
Introduced direct elections to the federal and some regional legislatures.
Separated Lagos from the West and Southern Cameroons from the East.
Created the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Removed the central government's power to veto regional laws.
Prepared the way for self-government and independence.

Explain each point.

Member of the British cabinet answerable to Parliament for colonial affairs.
Made and directed British colonial policy.
Recommended the appointment of Governors and supervised them.
Issued instructions to Governors and advised them on problems.
Approved or disallowed colonial legislation.
Approved colonial budgets and loans and oversaw finances.
Set up commissions of enquiry into disturbances (e.g. Aba women's riot 1929).
Received petitions from colonial peoples.
Approved new constitutions and chaired constitutional conferences.
Reported to Parliament and the Crown on the colonies.

Explain each function.

Sovereign equality of all member states.
Members fulfil their Charter obligations in good faith.
Peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Members refrain from the threat or use of force against other states.
Members assist the UN in any action under the Charter and give no help to a state facing UN enforcement action.
Non-member states are also expected to act in line with these principles for peace and security.
Non-interference in matters essentially within a state's domestic jurisdiction.
Respect for human rights and the self-determination of peoples.

These come from Article 2 of the UN Charter.

(Any four, explained) Support for the OAU (now AU): finance and leadership roles.
Support for decolonisation and liberation movements (Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique).
Fight against apartheid in South Africa: funds, boycotts, Commonwealth pressure, nationalising BP (1979).
Leading the formation of ECOWAS (1975) and supporting economic cooperation.
Peacekeeping: ECOMOG in Liberia and Sierra Leone; troops in Chad and Congo.
Technical Aid Corps and financial aid to African states.
Hosting and funding African cultural and sporting events (FESTAC 1977, All-Africa Games).
Speaking for Africa at the UN and the Commonwealth.

Four ways with examples.