WAEC Government 2017 Theory Past Questions

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A legitimate government is the government that is generally recognized and accepted by the majority of the people in a given state. A government is said to be legitimate if it has the mandate of the people to govern and enjoys popular support from its citizens.

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(i) Accountability and responsiveness: A legitimate government is usually responsive to the needs of the people by embarking on policies and programmes that will satisfy the needs of its citizens. A legitimate government is also accountable to the people by always giving reports for its performance to the people of the country. (ii) Recognition and Acceptance: A legitimate government enjoys general acceptance and recognition from the majority of the citizens of a state. The legitimate government is seen as the rightful government which assumed office through the mandate freely given by the people rather than through imposition. (iii) Periodic free and fair elections: The popularity of a legitimate government is usually tested in a periodic free, fair and credible election. Elections provide the citizens with the opportunity to renew the mandate given to the government, hence for a government to enjoy legitimacy, it must come to power through constitutional means of a periodic election. (iv) Respect for rule of law and fundamental human rights: Another feature of a legitimate government is the respect of rule of law and absence of arbitrariness in government as well as utmost respect for the rights of the citizens and non-citizens alike in the state.

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Rights may be defined as the conditions/protections/entitlements that an individual enjoys and which cannot be taken by other, including the state except through a legal process. Every individual is assumed to have a certain right and these include: the right to life, freedom of movement, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion and conscience, freedom of association and assembly etc.

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(i) The freedom of movement can be limited in period of emergency when a curfew is placed on a city in order to ensure the security of lives and property. (ii) Freedom of speech and expression can also be limited through the laws of libel and slander. (iii) Right to life can be limited if a person is found guilty of a crime and sentenced to death by a court of law. (iv) Freedom of association and assembly can be denied or limited if such assembly is seen as constituting a threat to the security of the state.

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A de-jure one party system is the party system in which only one political party is legally allowed to exist in the country. In this case, only this one party can present candidates for elective positions, the single party is also the ruling party and there are no opposition parties contesting with it. De-facto one party system on the other hand, is where there are more than one political party but only one party has been able to win elections and control the government of the country for a fairly long period without serious challenge form other parties. It is also known as hegemonic or dominant party.

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(i) It is democratic as the existence of many parties provides the electorate with a choice to choose from. (ii) It provides alternatives for the people in the event that the party in power fails to meet their needs, they can subsequently replace such party with another one. (iii) It provides the platform for smaller parties to win some seats in the legislature (especially in a parliamentary system of government) thereby enhancing the representation of groups/opinions that may otherwise be neglected. (iv) It engenders wider political participation by the citizens. (v) It prevents the emergence of a dictator.

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Simple majority is also known as first-past-the-post or plurality system. It is an electoral system where the candidate that scores the highest number of votes in an election is declared the winner of the election.

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(i) It promotes 'a winner-takes-all' mentality thereby excluding critical stakeholders in the government of the country. (ii) A simple majority electoral system is less democratic because it may produce as winner the candidate that does not have a clear majority in the election. (iii) Another demerit is the winner of the election may not truly represent the wishes of the majority of the electorate. (iv) Due to its simplicity, the system can easily be manipulated by politicians who want to win the election by all cost. (v) Smaller parties have little or no chance of winning any election thereby preventing the participation of the groups/opinions they represent in the government.

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(i) Local government system can be improved if autonomy is granted to the local government council which will enable them to discharge their functions effectively without let and hindrance. (ii) Another way by the local government in Nigeria can be improved upon is by removing the undue reliance on local government on the state governments. (iii) Local government should be granted financial autonomy. The statutory allocation of local government should be paid directly into their account and not into the State-Local Government Joint Account. (iv) A system of democratic local government where the people will choose who will govern them at the local level should be guaranteed rather than the imposition of local government officials by state governors. (v) There should be improvement in the remuneration and working conditions of local government employees as this will attract skilled personnel into the system which will subsequently lead to improved performance of the staff and the local government councils.

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(i) The Ogboni Society performed religious functions, such as performing rituals, in the pre-colonial Yoruba political system. (ii) The society acted as check for the Oyo-mesi. (iii) The Society advised the Oba and his chiefs on important policies. (iv) The society served as intermediary between the people and their ancestors. (v) The society was involved in the preservation of the cultural values and traditions of the people.

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A crown colony is a territory acquired by Britain through conquest, purchase, cession etc. A crown colony was put under the direct administration of the British Government and the inhabitants of a crown colony were regarded as British Subjects.

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(i) The Secretary of State for the colony was responsible for the supervision of all British colonies. (ii) He served as the link between the British government and her colonies. (iii) He appointed the colonial governors. (iv) He could also remove and transfer the colonial governors.

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(i) He founded the first political party in Nigeria (NNDP). (ii) He established the Lagos Daily News. (iii) He was the first president of NCNC. (iv) He protested against the Richards constitution, through the NCNC, because Nigerians were not consulted before the drafting of the constitution. (v) He was involved in the establishment of the Lagos branch of the National Congress of British West Africa. (vi) He was the father of all the Nigerian nationalist leaders. He was a rallying point for nationalists. (vii) His activities led to the introduction of the Elective Principle in Nigeria.

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Foreign policy is the principles, guidelines and strategy adopted by a country in conducting her relationship with other states while pursuing her national interest.

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Factors that influence Nigeria's foreign policy are: (i) Africa centred: Africa is regarded as the centre-piece of Nigerian foreign policy. (ii) The economic resources available to Nigeria e.g. mineral resources and agricultural products. (iii) Types of government e.g. military or democratic government. (iv) Population: large size and the quality of human resources of Nigeria affect her foreign policy. (v) Ideological disposition of the leaders: Nigeria relates more with those countries that share similar ideologies. (vi) The economic resources available to Nigeria e.g. mineral resources and agricultural products. (vii) The military strength of Nigeria e.g. the size and quality of the army influence her foreign policy.

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(i) Nigeria provides the bulk of human and material resources used in ECOWAS. (ii) Nigeria was instrumental to the establishment of ECOWAS. (iii) Nigeria contributes the largest troops to ECOMOG in order to ensure security in the sub-region. (iv) Nigeria is the largest financial contributor to ECOWAS. (v) Nigeria provided the facilities of the location of ECOWAS Headquarters.