WAEC Government 2003 past questions and answers

As an institution, government is made up of the three organs: legislature, executive and judiciary.

Authority is power that is accepted as lawful and rightful (legitimate).

Zionism was the movement for a Jewish homeland, which led to the creation of Israel in 1948.

Capitalism is built on private ownership and free individual enterprise for profit.

Montesquieu argued that putting all powers in one hand leads to tyranny, so they should be separated.

The French writer Jean Bodin set out the idea of sovereignty in his Six Books of the Commonwealth (1576).

Authority is power plus legitimacy; power on its own may be mere force.

Oligarchy is government by a small group of powerful people.

Acting freely within the limits of the law is a right (liberty) the citizen enjoys; of the options, it is a human right.

Because a written constitution is a legal document, the courts must be able to interpret it and settle disputes over its meaning.

Checks and balances let one organ interfere in another's work, so the separation of powers is not absolute.

A constitutional monarch, like the British king or queen, is a ceremonial head; real power lies with the Prime Minister and cabinet.

Under separation of persons in the presidential system, a legislator appointed minister must give up his seat.

An official (recognised) opposition with a shadow cabinet is a feature of the parliamentary system, not the presidential system.

The electorate is the body of all people qualified to vote.

In an electoral college, voters choose delegates who then elect the officials, so the election is indirect.

The right to vote grew as people demanded a say in choosing representatives to govern them.

Winning a free election gives the government the people's consent, which makes it legitimate.

Universal adult suffrage gives the vote to all adults; the only usual limit is a minimum age (18 in Nigeria).

A manifesto sets out what a party plans to do if elected.

A coalition government is formed by two or more parties together.

Red tape means rigid following of rules and procedures, which causes delay.

Pressure groups try to influence government policy without seeking to take power.

Radio, television and newspapers reach far more people than any other agent.

Each public corporation is placed under a supervising ministry and its minister.

Local councils make bye-laws for their areas; the others are federal functions.

Under the 1999 Constitution, the federal legislature is the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives).

Free and fearless courts can protect citizens' rights even against the government.

The Ombudsman (in Nigeria, the Public Complaints Commission) investigates complaints against officials' abuse of power.

Using traditional rulers was the British indirect rule; the French reduced chiefs to mere agents.

With two strong parties, voters have a clear choice between two alternative programmes.

Federalism means powers are shared between the central and regional governments, which the 1954 Constitution did.

The NCBWA (1920) was moderate and loyal to Britain; it asked for elected legislative councils and a West African university, not African governors.

The electoral commission (INEC in Nigeria) delimits constituencies and handles nominations.

France first tried assimilation and later switched to association.

The Loi Cadre (framework law) was passed by France in 1956.

National interest is what a country wants to gain or protect in its dealings with other countries.

The UN was founded in 1945, after the Second World War; the League of Nations followed the First World War.

The Executive Council advised the Governor, who was not bound to take its advice.

Assimilation aimed to make Africans French in culture and to govern them like France.

Leaders argued that one party would unite their ethnically divided new nations.

Non-aligned states stayed out of both the Western (USA) and Eastern (USSR) blocs during the Cold War.

Under the OAU Charter the Council of Ministers approved the budget. (The OAU was replaced by the African Union in July 2002.)

The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

ECOMOG, the ECOWAS Monitoring Group, was the peacekeeping force used in Liberia and Sierra Leone. (It was later replaced by the ECOWAS Standby Force.)

The UN headquarters is in New York, USA.

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government was the supreme organ of the OAU; it is also the supreme organ of the African Union that replaced the OAU in July 2002.

ECOWAS is an economic community; members keep their sovereignty and are not aiming to become one country.

Government as an academic subject is the study of the state and how it is governed; at higher level it is called political science.
It is a social science.
It studies political institutions (legislature, executive, judiciary, parties, pressure groups) and processes (elections, policy-making).
It covers political theory and ideas, comparative government, public administration and international relations.
It studies the relationship between rulers and the ruled, power, authority and the rights and duties of citizens.
It uses systematic methods (observation, statistics, data analysis) and borrows from other subjects such as history, economics, sociology, philosophy and law.

Define it, then show its scope and methods.

(a) Any three (1999 Constitution, Chapter IV): right to life; right to dignity of the human person; right to personal liberty; right to fair hearing; right to private and family life; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression and the press; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; freedom of movement; freedom from discrimination; right to own property.
(b) Limitations: rights may be limited by law in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; to protect the rights of others; during a state of emergency or war; by a court sentence (e.g. death penalty, imprisonment after conviction); lawful arrest and detention of suspects; restrictions on non-citizens (e.g. movement, political rights); laws on libel, slander and sedition limit free speech; lawful acquisition of property with compensation; military rule and suspension of the constitution; practical limits such as poverty, ignorance and illiteracy.

Name three rights, then show how each can be limited.

(a) Simple plurality (first-past-the-post): the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, even without an absolute majority (used in Nigeria and Britain).
(b) Repeated (exhaustive) ballot: voting is repeated, with the lowest candidate dropped each round, until one candidate gets an absolute majority.
(c) Second ballot: if no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, a second (run-off) vote is held, usually between the top two candidates (e.g. France).
(d) Alternative vote: voters rank candidates 1, 2, 3...; if no one has an absolute majority of first preferences, the lowest candidate is eliminated and his votes are passed on by next preferences until someone has over half (e.g. Australia's lower house).

Explain each system clearly; an example helps.

The constitution limits its powers.
Legislature: impeachment of the president; vote of no confidence (parliamentary system); approval of the budget and appointments; questions, debates and investigations; overriding a veto; ratifying treaties.
Judiciary: judicial review declares unconstitutional executive acts void; orders such as habeas corpus and injunctions.
Periodic elections: voters can remove the government.
Public opinion and the press.
Pressure groups and opposition parties.
Ombudsman (Public Complaints Commission) and anti-corruption bodies.
Rule of law and separation of powers.
Federalism: power shared with state governments.
Civil service rules and audit (Auditor-General).

Explain each method of control.

Need for strong, stable leadership to unite ethnically divided new states.
Problems of the parliamentary system, such as the clash between ceremonial president and prime minister (e.g. Nigeria 1964).
Head of state and head of government fused in one person: quicker decisions.
Fixed term gives stability; no sudden votes of no confidence.
Direct election gives the president a national mandate and a symbol of unity.
Separation of powers and checks and balances protect against abuse.
Desire to break with the British colonial model and try a new system.
Influence of the USA's example.
Military regimes handed over under presidential constitutions (e.g. Nigeria 1979, Ghana 1979).

Explain each factor.

Colonial officials became the real rulers; chiefs became mere agents of the colonial government.
Chiefs could be appointed, deposed or exiled by colonial authorities, so loyalty shifted to the colonial power.
Colonial courts took over judicial powers of chiefs.
Legislative councils and colonial laws replaced chiefs' law-making.
Colonial treasuries and taxes removed chiefs' control of revenue.
Western education produced an elite who looked down on traditional authority.
Christianity and Islam weakened chiefs' spiritual/religious role.
Wage employment and new trade gave subjects economic independence.
The French policy of assimilation and direct rule reduced chiefs to clerks.
Forced labour and tax collection made chiefs unpopular.

Explain each way.

(a) Formed in 1936 from the Lagos Youth Movement (1934).
A national convention/congress was the highest body.
A national executive headed by a president (e.g. Dr Kofo Abayomi, later Ernest Ikoli) with other officers.
Headquarters in Lagos, with branches in many towns across the country.
Used committees (e.g. for the 1938 Lagos Town Council and Legislative Council elections).
Owned a newspaper, the Daily Service, as its mouthpiece.
(b) Collapse: leadership crisis over the 1941 Legislative Council by-election (Akinsanya against Ikoli); Azikiwe and Akinsanya left with their supporters; ethnic (Yoruba–Igbo) suspicion; rivalry between the Daily Service and Azikiwe's West African Pilot; weak organisation and finances; loss of national character, leading to its decline by the mid-1940s.

Describe the structure, then explain the causes of collapse.

Great cultural differences: Africans would not give up their religion (especially Islam), languages and customs.
Strong resistance from Muslim areas and traditional rulers.
Very few Africans met the conditions (French education, monogamy, French language) to become citizens.
Cost: educating and governing Africans as Frenchmen was too expensive.
Opposition in France: many French people would not accept Africans as equals or let them vote in French elections.
Contradiction with the harsh indigenat and forced labour imposed on subjects.
The large size and population of French West Africa.
Influence of British indirect rule, which seemed cheaper and worked better.
France changed to the policy of association.

Highlight each factor.

Richards (Nigeria, 1946) and Burns (Gold Coast, 1946) constitutions were imposed without consulting the people.
Nominated members and official/traditional members still dominated; few elected members.
Chiefs were used to block the educated elite.
Executive Councils were not responsible to the legislatures.
Governor kept veto and reserved powers.
Restricted franchise (income and residence qualifications).
Legislative Councils were only advisory/deliberative and had limited powers.
Regionalism (Nigeria) was seen as a way to divide the nationalists.
Macpherson Constitution (1951) gave ministers no portfolios/responsibility and created a weak centre.
They did not lead quickly enough to self-government.

Give reasons with examples.

Large size of the country.
Ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious diversity.
Fear of domination of minorities and smaller groups by bigger ones.
Desire to keep local identity and autonomy while gaining the benefits of union.
Uneven development between North and South.
Colonial history: separate administration of the North and South after 1914 and regionalism under Richards (1946).
Wishes of the nationalist leaders and parties at the constitutional conferences (1950, 1953/54).
British policy and example of other federations.
Economic advantages of a larger market and pooled resources.
Need for security and a stronger common defence.

Outline each condition.

Political and diplomatic cooperation: common positions at the UN and other bodies.
Peaceful settlement of disputes through negotiation, mediation, conciliation and arbitration.
Liberation of colonies and the fight against apartheid (Liberation Committee).
Economic cooperation: ADB, ECA, regional groups like ECOWAS, the African Economic Community (1991 Abuja Treaty).
Transport and communications projects (e.g. trans-African highways).
Educational, scientific and technical cooperation.
Health and nutrition cooperation.
Cultural and sports cooperation (FESTAC, All-Africa Games, Africa Cup of Nations).
Defence and security cooperation, peacekeeping.
Note: the OAU was replaced by the African Union (AU) in July 2002; the AU continues this cooperation.

Explain each area of cooperation.