NECO Government 2027 Theory Past Questions

Model answer

1. Government ensures the promotion and protection of national sovereignty. 2. Modern government is saddled with the responsibility of making laws for the good of the country. 3. It is the duty of government to implement government policy. 4. It is the duty of government to provide national leadership; protecting the rights of citizens at home and abroad. 5. It is the duty of government to maintain internal law, peace and order; police and courts are established for this purpose. 6. Government establishes and equips a standing armed force to protect the state against internal and external attack (defense). 7. Government ensures that the welfare of the people is prioritized, e.g. care for the aged, poverty reduction. 8. Administration of justice/adjudication of disputes: it is the duty of the law court which is an arm of government to settle disputes and administer justice; this creates an enabling environment for state institutions to function effectively. 9. Government is responsible for control, regulation and managing of the economy of the state in order to protect the economy and support economic growth. 10. Provision of employment opportunities. (Other acceptable functions: it is the responsibility of government to protect the lives and property of citizens; it is the duty of government to make provision for essential services such as good roads, electricity, pipe-borne water and hospitals.)

Model answer

1. Differences in adjudication mechanism between modern and traditional courts, i.e. different scope of jurisdiction and capacities. 2. Problems with judicial management and internal administration. 3. Inefficient mechanisms and procedures for court cases, e.g. filing, registration, disposing, and preparation of court proceedings. 4. Poor professional, ethical and other accountability mechanisms/considerations; corrupt law enforcement agencies, corruption among judges and police, form an impediment to justice delivery in a democratic state. 5. Prevalence of favoritism, nepotism and cronyism: appointment of judges' base on nepotism and favoritism affects the judicial system. (Other acceptable factors from the source: corrupt judicial officers e.g. clerks, registrars, bailiffs; executive interference and manipulation of the court process; budgetary and resource control and insufficient allocation for administration and training; weak institutional protection for the operation of the judiciary; lack of IT systems and use of the system; failure of government to provide adequate infrastructure and equipment to the judicial department; service delivery and public perception of the judiciary by the public; delay in justice delivery; high cost of obtaining justice; inability of the poor to access legal services.)

Model answer

1. Failure on the part of government to make adequate funding available for operations, which has weakened government operations and processes. 2. Poor/inadequate staffing: the inability of government to employ the required number of staff in public offices for execution of government policies contributes to the weakness of government institutions. 3. Poor conditions of service: most government workers are underpaid, which has led to non-chalant attitude by government workers in the discharge of their roles and duties. 4. Corruption, nepotism and favouritism: favouritism at the point of employment to employ expert and professional and not mediocre who has little or no experience on the job. 5. Negative work attitudes: most public servants lack the motivation to work as a result of low remuneration and lack of supervision from their superior. (Other acceptable factors: misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds; political manipulation/interference; misplaced priorities/lack of clear vision and mission; poor policy direction; non-existent competition; poor evaluation and assessment of governmental operations; poor and incompetent leadership; inadequate capacity building/training; weak application of the constitution and other laws; ineffective civil society organizations; compromised media through press censorship; political instability - frequent change of government mostly by coup; undue administrative bottlenecks e.g. red-tapeism, bureaucracy.)

Model answer

1. It helps in the transmission of political values/norms to the younger generation. 2. It encourages political participation in the country. 3. It helps instill values of patriotism and nationalism/loyalty in the people. 4. It helps in political recruitment of youths and interested individuals. 5. It promotes political education/enlightenment for the people. (Other acceptable: it promotes interest in the governance of the state; it helps in the formation of public opinion; it helps in the development of political culture in the state; it ensures responsibility and accountability in governance; it inculcates political traditions in successive generations; it helps in stabilizing the political system in the country; it enhances the legitimacy of political institutions/systems; it creates awareness of political institutions and processes; it enhances critical thinking and evaluation/assessment.)

Model answer

1. It promotes governance at the local level. 2. It helps in the mobilization of local material resources for development. 3. It assists in mobilizing local human resources for development. 4. It identifies and advertises the economic potentials of the area to attract investors. 5. It assists in the maintenance of law and order at the local level. (Other acceptable: it creates employment opportunity for the people at the grassroot; it generates revenue for local development; it trains future political leaders through grassroot politics; it promotes political participation and governance at the grassroot; it serves as a bridge linking the local people to the central government; it assists in the legitimization of the political system; it encourages the self-help spirit/local initiatives; it helps to unlock economic potentials/unearth local initiatives; it draws the attention of the central government to the pressing needs of the people; it explains government policies to the people; it assists in national integration and nation building; provision for conflict resolution mechanisms in the local area; reduces the workload of the central government through the local government; it promotes efficiency as a result of delegated legislation; provision of essential services such as roads and water; ensures rapid response in times of emergency; enhances effective decentralization of power and roles; assists in addressing the basic needs of the people at the local level.)

Model answer

1. It enables us to identify/know patriots/nationalist leaders in the country. 2. To appreciate their contributions to the nationalist struggle. 3. To know their input in constitutional reforms that assisted in the attainment of independence. 4. To enable us understand the factors that contributed to the nationalist struggle. 5. To understand how nationalism/nationalists used the media to mobilize the people for a common cause. (Other acceptable: to identify and appreciate the roles of the various political parties associated with the struggle; to identify and appreciate the roles of the trade unions/pressure groups in the nationalist struggle; to understand how nationalist activities led to infrastructural transformation/development; to know/understand the various strategies adopted by nationalists in dealing with oppressors' rule; to enable people know what nationalism meant to those who participated in it and its impact on the present generation.)

Model answer

Political leadership is the capacity/ability to guide, organize and inspire the activities of others towards the attainment of the goals in a state. Four qualities of a good leader: (i) A good leader must be visionary to carry the people along. (ii) A good leader must be fair, firm and decisive in decision making. (iii) A good leader must be approachable/accessible at all times by the followers. (iv) He/she must lead by example and lead from the front. (Other acceptable qualities: must have and maintain integrity in all ramifications; must be knowledgeable in all matters concerning the affairs of his/her people; must have the ability to inspire others through character, vision and leadership; must have the ability to empathize with others; must have a good sense of judgement in order to lead others; must be able to build team spirit within his/her followers to achieve desired goals; must have good communication skills to communicate effectively with the people; must be innovative and creative to lead effectively; must accept responsibility for his/her actions; should have emotional intelligence to relate with and empathize with others.)

Model answer

1. Promotion of cordial ties: diplomacy promotes cordial ties among states. 2. Protection of citizens abroad: diplomacy guarantees the safety of Nigerian citizens abroad. 3. It helps in negotiations and international bargaining between Nigeria and other countries. 4. It promotes Nigeria's national interest abroad. 5. It promotes economic diplomacy among Nigeria and diplomatic countries. (Other acceptable: it advertises Nigeria's high economic potentials abroad; it enhances the image of the country abroad; it helps to gather intelligence/information useful for the development of the country; it gives reports on developments of interest in other countries; it helps to implement foreign policy directives; diplomacy helps to seek development partners for the country; it helps to promote cultural exchange between two countries; it is highly effective in conflict resolution between two countries; it helps to foster world peace in the interest of the country.)

Model answer

1. One of the impacts of colonial administration in West Africa is the creation of states. 2. The formation of political parties: colonialism brought about formation of political parties during the Clifford constitution of 1922. 3. Formation of pressure groups: it helped in establishing pressure groups to improve the standard of living of the people. 4. Formation of trade unions: colonialism brought about the establishment of trade unions in the country. 5. The establishment of the press: the Clifford constitution introduced the formation of media houses in Nigeria, e.g. Lagos Daily, African Pilot etc. (Other acceptable: creation of bureaucratic institutions - it established strong institutions and procedures to follow in government establishment; creation of the legislative institution - the first legislative house was founded by Lord Lugard in 1914, setting the foundation for the legislative house in Nigeria; creation of the executive institution - the executive arm of government was also created by the Clifford constitution of 1922; the introduction of the elective principle/representative government in 1922 to afford Nigerians the right to be elected into elective offices, which has set precedence for the electoral process in Nigeria; it contributed to political participation/national consciousness; it led to the emergence of nationalist movements and leaders in Nigeria and West Africa.)

Model answer

1. Abuse of power/dictatorship: abuse of power by the civilian government, an act of dictatorship by them, often attracts the military to power. 2. Manipulation of the judiciary and judicial system: manipulation of the judiciary by elected civilians, influencing the decision of the judiciary in their favour, which has been a major boost for military intervention to come to power. 3. Corruption in government/corrupt government officials: large scale corruption by civilians to loot the public treasury, parading of ill-gotten wealth before the hungry and toiling masses, including distribution of amenities based on ethnic factors, open invitation for military intervention in Nigeria politics. 4. Electoral manipulation: manipulation of election results to favour the ruling party has always been a catalyst that prompts the military to disrupt the democratic process. 5. Cronyism, nepotism and open bias of government. (Other acceptable: economic mismanagement - the military often come to power with the hope of righting economic wrongs done by civilians embarking on prestigious and economically unviable projects with the aim of getting their percentage; disregard for Rule of Law - civilians often disobey court orders and find it difficult to adhere strictly to the constitution, governing arbitrarily; suppression of political opponents; abuse of the fundamental human rights of citizens; undue interference in the affairs of the military - undue politicization of the army by the civilian is another reason for military intervention; weak and ineffective leadership - the weakness of the democratically elected government to discharge its duty and govern the country with strong leadership; military also intervene in politics due to general insecurity and breakdown of law and order; failure to uphold the tenets of the constitution; government's failure to provide leadership in the provision of social and infrastructural service; unfulfilled campaign promises.)