WAEC Government 2015 past questions and answers

As an institution, government is the machinery (legislature, executive, judiciary) through which the state's power is exercised.

Studying government helps citizens know their rights and duties.

Political culture is a people's shared attitudes, beliefs and values about politics.

Entrenching rights makes them hard to remove, guaranteeing citizens' freedoms. Freedom of speech is only one of them.

Immunity means some people cannot be sued or prosecuted for certain acts, so not everyone is equal before the law.

Montesquieu argued that if one person or body held all powers, tyranny would follow; separating them prevents dictatorship.

Ghana is a unitary state. Nigeria, the USA and India are federations.

Britain's constitution is not in one document: it comes from statutes, conventions and court decisions.

A flexible constitution is changed the same way as ordinary laws.

The presidential system separates the arms of government and lets each check the others (e.g. veto, impeachment).

In a confederation the member states are strong and the central body is weak.

Powers both levels can exercise are concurrent powers.

Prerogative powers, such as the power of pardon, belong to the executive (head of state).

With only one chamber, bills pass faster because there is no second house to approve them.

The executive carries out laws and policies.

A citizen is a full member of a state who enjoys its legal and political rights.

A person being naturalised must swear an oath of allegiance to the new country.

Nationalization means government taking over private businesses; it has nothing to do with citizenship.

Honorary citizenship is given as an honour to a distinguished foreigner.

Political parties exist to win power and control the government.

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

In a one-party state the law allows only the ruling party.

With many parties, many different views and interests can be represented.

Many West African parties were built on ethnic or regional bases, so multi-party politics tended to promote sectional and factional loyalties.

Franchise means the right to vote (and to stand for election).

Elections make leaders accountable and allow peaceful change; they are not meant to keep one group in power.

Campaigns are where parties and candidates openly compete for power, the clearest display of politics in action.

A bye-election fills a single seat that becomes vacant between general elections.

Pressure groups let members voice their complaints and demands to government.

Public opinion is the combined views of the people on a public issue.

At a general election the whole electorate judges the government by re-electing or rejecting it, so it is the best measure of opinion on its performance.

An opinion poll (sampling) asks a sample of people their views on an issue.

The civil service is the administrative part of the executive.

Civil servants should be impartial and neutral; they enjoy permanent tenure.

Most local councils in West Africa depend mainly on allocations and grants from the central/state government.

Councils of elders or chiefs, e.g. the Oyo Mesi, chose new rulers.

Colonialism is the rule of one country over another territory and its people. A and B describe nationalism.

The Governor presided over the Legislative Council and his casting vote broke ties in his favour.

The French believed their culture was superior and Africans should become French in language and way of life.

French West Africa was ruled centrally from Dakar and Paris.

Pan-Africanism arose to fight racial discrimination and domination of black people by Europeans.

Herbert Macaulay's Lagos Daily News (1920s) was used against colonial policies before the West African Pilot (1937). The Daily Times was pro-government.

A coup changes the government: it suspends the constitution and dissolves the legislature, but the state itself (territory, people, sovereignty) remains.

Military regimes make laws by decree.

The Commonwealth grew out of the British Empire and is made up mainly of former British colonies.

Kofi Annan of Ghana served from 1997 to 2006. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Egypt) was the first African, but not black African. Anyaoku was Commonwealth Secretary-General.

(a) Constitutionalism is the principle that government derives its powers from the constitution and must act within the limits it sets; it means limited government and respect for the constitution by rulers and ruled.
(b) Any four:
1. Rule of law.
2. Independent judiciary / judicial review.
3. Separation of powers and checks and balances.
4. Free and fair periodic elections.
5. Free press and active public opinion.
6. Protection of fundamental human rights.
7. Political education and an enlightened citizenry.
8. A strong opposition and civil society.

Constitutionalism = limited government under the constitution.

(a) Separation of powers is the division of government functions among three organs (legislature, executive, judiciary), each with its own personnel and powers, so that no organ controls all power (Montesquieu).
(b)(i) Presidential: strict separation. President and ministers are not members of the legislature; the president is separately elected; each arm has its own powers; checks such as veto, impeachment, confirmation of appointments, judicial review.
(ii) Cabinet: fusion rather than separation of executive and legislature. Ministers are members of parliament; the Prime Minister leads the majority party in parliament; parliament can remove the government by a vote of no confidence and the PM can dissolve parliament; only the judiciary is clearly separate.

Point out that the cabinet system has fusion of powers; only the judiciary stands apart.

(a) Parliamentarianism (the parliamentary system) is a system in which the executive (Prime Minister and cabinet) is drawn from and responsible to the legislature, and holds office as long as it keeps parliament's confidence.
(b) Any four:
1. Parliamentary: dual executive (ceremonial head of state + PM); presidential: single executive (president is both).
2. Parliamentary: fusion of powers; presidential: separation of powers.
3. Ministers are MPs in parliamentary; not legislators in presidential.
4. Collective responsibility to parliament vs ministers responsible to the president.
5. Government can be removed by vote of no confidence vs fixed term with impeachment only.
6. PM can dissolve parliament; president cannot dissolve the legislature.
7. PM is leader of majority party in parliament; president elected directly by the people.

Set out differences side by side: parliamentary vs presidential.

(a) Public opinion is the views or feelings held by a large number of people on public issues or government policies at a particular time.
(b) Formation (any three): mass media; family, school and religious bodies; political parties; pressure groups; opinion leaders; public lectures, rallies and seminars; social media.
(b, second part) Encouragement (any three): guarantee freedom of speech and the press; independent and free media; political education; tolerance of opposition and criticism; regular free elections and referenda; town-hall meetings and public hearings; allowing pressure groups to operate freely.

The book prints two parts labelled (b); answer both.

Any five, each with one function:
1. Presiding Officer: in charge of a polling unit; opens and closes the poll, counts and declares results there.
2. Poll clerk / assistant presiding officer: checks voters' names on the register and issues ballot papers.
3. Returning Officer: collates results for the constituency and declares the winner.
4. Electoral Officer: supervises election in a local government area.
5. Party agents / polling agents: watch the process on behalf of candidates.
6. Security officers (police): keep order and protect materials.
7. Observers / monitors: watch and report whether the poll is free and fair.
8. Collation officer: adds up results from polling units.

Pair each official with one clear function.

Any five:
1. Member of the British cabinet responsible for colonial affairs.
2. Formulated colonial policy.
3. Appointed (or recommended) Governors and senior colonial officials.
4. Answered questions on the colonies in the British Parliament.
5. Approved colonial budgets and laws (could disallow ordinances).
6. Issued instructions and Orders-in-Council for colonies; introduced constitutions.
7. Supervised Governors and received their reports.
8. Arranged funds and development grants (Colonial Development and Welfare).

He was the minister in London to whom Governors answered.

(a) Any three, e.g.: Nigerian Tribune (Awolowo, 1949); Daily Comet (Zik, Kano, 1949); Northern Advocate (1949); Eastern Nigeria Guardian; Nigerian Spokesman. (Earlier nationalist papers such as the West African Pilot, 1937, and the Daily Service, 1938, were founded before the war ended.)
(b) Any four:
1. Exposed and criticised colonial injustices.
2. Educated and mobilised the people politically.
3. Spread nationalist ideas and demands for self-government.
4. Mouthpiece for nationalist leaders and parties.
5. Built public opinion against colonial rule.
6. Promoted unity among Africans.
7. Published news of independence movements elsewhere.

For (a), check dates: a paper founded before 1945 does not answer the question.

Any five:
1. Formed in 1951 by Obafemi Awolowo; governed the Western Region 1952–62.
2. Introduced free universal primary education in the West (1955).
3. Set up WNTV (1959), the first television station in Africa.
4. Built Liberty Stadium, Cocoa House and industrial estates; promoted farm settlements.
5. Pushed for self-government (Western Region became self-governing in 1957).
6. Formed the official opposition in the federal parliament (1959–62).
7. Championed federalism and minority rights (e.g. creation of more states).
8. Introduced free health services for children; minimum wage policy.

Achievements should be concrete (free education, WNTV, etc.).

(a)(i) The military is the armed forces of a state (army, navy, air force), trained and organised to defend it.
(ii) A military coup d'etat is the sudden, unconstitutional overthrow of a government by members of the armed forces, often by force.
(b) Any three:
1. Suspension of the constitution (or parts of it).
2. Rule by decrees and edicts.
3. Fusion of executive and legislative powers in a supreme military council.
4. Banning of political parties and dissolution of the legislature.
5. Hierarchical command structure; centralisation.
6. Curtailment of human rights; ouster clauses limiting courts.
7. Appointment of military administrators/governors.

Keep definitions short and give features of military regimes.

Any of:
1. National interest.
2. Colonial heritage (ties to Britain, France, Portugal).
3. Economic resources and needs (aid, trade, oil).
4. Geographical location and neighbours.
5. Size, population and military strength.
6. Ideology and type of government; leadership personality.
7. Membership of international organisations (ECOWAS, AU, UN, Commonwealth, OIF).
8. Security concerns (insurgency, border disputes).
9. Public opinion and pressure groups.
10. Ethnic and cultural ties across borders.

Several factors with a short explanation each score well.