WAEC Government 2020 Theory Past Questions

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(a) Political socialization is the process through which an individual acquires a set of political attitudes, values, beliefs and forms opinions about political systems and practices. In other words, political socialization is the process through which the political values and beliefs of a particular society are transmitted or transferred from one generation to another. That is, it is the means by which citizens learn and inculcate the political culture of their state or society. (b) Four features of a nation: A nation is a culturally homogenous group of people. The following are some of the features of a nation: (1) Common language. (2) Common culture and traditions. (3) Common origin/Ancestry/Descent. (4) Common historical experiences. (5) Common religious beliefs. (6) Attachment to a common geographical area. (7) Members usually live in a peaceful atmosphere. (8) Common sense of patriotism. (9) Emotional attachment to the ideals and principles of the people in the geographical area. (10) Common identity/identities.

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Features of Federalism: A federal system of government is where there are at least two levels of government in a country and there is a constitutional division of powers among these levels of government (K.C Wheare is a major writer on federalism. Countries operating the federal system of government include: United States of America, Australia, Germany, India, Pakistan and Nigeria). (1) There are two levels of government i.e. Central or Federal authority and constituent units. In Nigeria, there are three levels of government: Federal, State and Local Governments. (2) Division of powers between the Centre and component unit. In a federal system, the constitution divides governmental functions and responsibilities among the levels of government. For instance, the exclusive list contains items which the federal government alone can legislate on; the concurrent list is meant for the federal and component governments, while the residual list is for the component units alone. (3) Existence of a written constitution. (4) It has a rigid constitution. A rigid constitution is that constitution that is difficult to amend. The rigidity of a federal constitution is necessary to prevent a section of the country from amending or changing the contents of the constitution for their own selfish interests. (5) Supremacy of the constitution. In a federal state, the constitution is supreme as all levels of government derive their powers from the constitution. (6) Independent judiciary. (7) Bicameral legislature. A federal state usually has a bicameral legislature, that is, two houses of legislature. The rationale behind the second chamber in a federal state is to make up for the equality of the constituent units of the federation in the legislature. (8) Dual loyalty/allegiance, in a federal state, citizens owe allegiance to the government of the state/region and the central federal government. (9) The existence of a system of Revenue Allocation. (10) The Supremacy of the Central Government in case of conflict. Whenever a conflict arises between the central and component governments, especially on items on the concurrent list, the laws of the federal government will supersede that of the component government. (11) The right of secession is denied.

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(a) A public corporation is a semi-autonomous business entity established by an Act of Parliament (statute) to provide essential services to the public at a reduced cost. Examples of public corporation in Nigeria are: Nigeria Railway Corporation, the defunct NEPA, Nigerian Television Authority etc. (b) Public Corporations can be controlled through the following means: (1) Parliamentary/Legislative control: The legislature, through its relevant committees, can summon the head of a public corporation and ask him/her to give account of his/her stewardship. Through this, the legislature can control public corporations. (2) Control by the Executive through the minister. The minister, who is a member of the executive council, serves as a link between a public corporation and the government. He is responsible for the general policy of a public corporation and can also exercise some form of control on the management board of a public corporation. (3) Financial control through the Auditor-General. (4) Judicial control. (5) Control by the public. (6) Quality assurance control. (7) Media control. (8) Control by the office of the Ombudsman. In Nigeria, the Ombudsman is known as the Public Complaints Commission. (9) Control by Pressure Group/Consumer Associations.

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Public opinion refers to the aggregate views expressed by a large section of the public on a particular governmental policy or programme. In other words, it is the opinion expressed by a cross-section of the public on a specific government policy or programme. Ways Public Opinion is measured: (a) Election. (b) Opinion polls/exit polls. (c) Thoughts expressed publicly by influential people in society. (d) Personal contacts. (e) Mass Media reportage. (f) Activities of pressure groups. (g) Public discussion e.g. Debates, symposium, forum. (h) Referendum/Plebiscite.

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A right is a claim an individual can make on a state of fundamental rights that are the inalienable rights of people. The rights of citizens can be guaranteed or safeguarded through the following ways: (1) Entrenchment of fundamental human rights in the constitution. (2) A free and independent press/mass media. (3) Strengthening the capacity of human rights defenders and National human rights institution e.g. CHRAJ, Ombudsman. (4) An independent and impartial judiciary. (5) Efficient law enforcement agencies. (6) Provision of adequate checks and balances. (7) Respect for international laws and conventions. (8) Provision of legal aid to the poor and needy. (9) Provide education on the awareness of the rights of citizens. (10) Respect for the principle of rule of law. (11) Independent electoral commission to conduct free and fair elections. (12) Existence of civil society organizations. (13) The existence of pressure groups. (14) Existence of democratic regimes/administration. (15) The office of the Ombudsman. (16) The vigilance of opposition parties on issues of human rights.

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The United Nations Organisation is a global/universal intergovernmental organization established after the Second World War in 1945 for the primary purpose of promoting and maintaining world peace and security. The Headquarters of the United Nations is located in New York, USA. Currently, the United Nations has 193 member-states. The challenges facing the United Nations Organization include (any five): (1) Threats to human security i.e. poverty, disease, and environmental degradation. (2) Violence and massive human rights violations within states. (3) Conflicts among nearby states in certain regions. (4) Legacies of military intervention and violent regime change. (5) Forced displacement as a result of famine or natural disaster etc. (6) Humanitarian challenges. (7) Civil wars and genocide. (8) Problems associated with the exercise of the veto power. (9) How to end human trafficking and forced migration. (10) How to end organized terrorist activities. (11) Confronting transnational organized crimes. (12) Challenges of Biosecurity and Bioterrorism. (13) How to curtail weapons of mass destruction (nuclear proliferation, biological and chemical weapon). (14) Ideological differences among the big powers. (15) Poor member states' inability to honour our financial obligation to the United Nations/Financial challenges. (16) Absence of a standing army for the United Nations (UN). (17) Over-reliance on the USA for financial and other logistic needs. (18) Unwillingness of member states to surrender their sovereignty. (19) Climate change. (20) The problem of bridging the development gap between the rich north and the poor south. (21) The problem of inequality among member states.

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Differences between the Crown Colony and the Protectorate (any five): (i) The Crown Colony was a form of direct control by a foreign power while the Protectorate were governed indirectly. For example, Lagos was a Crown Colony after it became a Crown Colony after it was ceded to the British by King Dosumu in 1861. (ii) All the activities of the Crown Colony were controlled by the sovereign country while the Protectorate received only protection and acted independently. (iii) An Act of Parliament created a Crown Colony while a Protectorate was established by treaties or agreement and proclamation. (iv) A Crown Colony was a legal possession of the British Crown while the Protectorate remained under the authority of traditional rulers. (v) A Crown Colony was administratively well structured with Legislative and Executive Councils while the Protectorate were largely ruled by precepts of traditional authorities. (vi) A Crown Colony was a territory invaded by a larger power e.g. Britain which sets up its own government in the colony headed by a Governor while a protectorate was a territory protected by a stronger power. (vii) Crown Colonies had no sovereignty but the Protectorate retained their sovereignty and had their defence and external relations handled by the Protector. (viii) A Crown Colony was dominated and exploited unlike the Protectorate which was semi-autonomous. (ix) The Crown Colony was ruled by uniformed British laws while the Protectorate was subjected to traditional institutions. (x) The Africans in the Crown Colonies were British subjects while those in the Protectorates were protected persons. (xi) The Crown Colonies had a lot of infrastructural developments while the protectorate hardly experienced such development. (xii) The administration of the Crown Colony was expensive compared to the protectorate which was run on low budget.

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(a) Five political parties were registered by the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to contest the 1979 Presidential election which ushered in the Second Republic (list any three): (1) National Party of Nigeria (NPN); Chief Obafemi Awolowo (note: NPN's presidential candidate was actually Alhaji Shehu Shagari). (2) Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN); Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (note: UPN's presidential candidate was actually Chief Obafemi Awolowo). (3) Nigerian People's Party (NPP); Alhaji Aminu Kano (note: NPP's presidential candidate was actually Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe). (4) People's Redemption Party (PRP); Alhaji Aminu Kano. (5) The Great Nigerian People's Party (GNPP); Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim. (b) Features of political parties in Nigeria since independence (any three): (i) The parties do not have a national outlook. (ii) The parties failed to promote unity and harmony. (iii) The parties harped on ethnicity which sharply divided the nation. (iv) The parties projected personalities rather than raising issues of national concern to be addressed. (v) Lack of internal democracy/factionalism. (vi) Corruption among high ranking leaders of the party. (vii) Personality cult and Godfatherism. (viii) Confused ideology. (ix) Phenomenon of defection. (x) Undermining democracy through election rigging and other fraudulent electoral practices. (xi) Lack of effective political representation due to politics of zoning.

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The 1999 constitution was a constitution that was drafted by the departing military regime of Abdulsalami Abubakar; thus, the constitution is fraught with many weaknesses which include (any five): (i) Too much powers given to the Federal Government. (ii) Citizenship/indigenship crises. The 1999 constitution failed to differentiate between a citizen and an indigene as well as highlighting their roles and privileges. (iii) The system of local government, administration, funding and autonomy. The 1999 constitution has an ambiguous provision for the existence of local government. For instance, while the constitution recognizes the right of state government to establish local governments areas, the creation of these new local government must also be approved by the National Assembly. (iv) Revenue and fiscal allocation. (v) Land reforms and state creation. (vi) The Electoral system. (vii) Rotation of power. The 1999 constitution does not provide for the rotation of political power/offices among the different groups that constitute the Nigerian federation. (viii) Federalist feature of the constitution in relation to certain sensitive national issues. (ix) Ambiguous Provisions: Some of the provisions of the 1999 constitution are ambiguous and contradictory. For example, in the appointment of the chairman of INEC, the constitution states that the person to be appointed must fulfill the requirement of a member of the House of Representatives. This provision is contradictory because to be eligible to contest into the House of Representatives, an individual must be a member of a political party, whereas the chairman of INEC is expected to be independent and non-partisan! (x) Protection for special interests. (xi) It does not take into account Nigeria's special history. (xii) The provision for presidential system is too costly and expensive to run. (xiii) The rigid nature of the constitution. (xiv) No provision for the role of the Deputy Governors. Under the 1999 constitution, Deputy Governors are not assigned any constitutional roles but they only serve at the pleasure of their Governors and this has caused so many crises between some governors and their deputies. (xv) The power of veto in the constitution can create room for the president to be autocratic or tyrannical.

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(a) Features of the Igbo Political System (any three): (i) The Igbo political system was segmented/fragmented, that is it was highly decentralized without a unified or centralized political structure, hence, it was described as acephalous. (ii) There was decentralization of powers. In pre-colonial Igbo society, political power and functions were diffused without the concentration of powers in an individual or institution. (iii) Democratic principles were upheld as every Igbo participated in the governance process e.g. Okpara, Council of Elders, Age Grades, Ozo title holders and chief priest participated effectively in the administration of the Igbo traditional society. (iv) Succession was not hereditary. (v) Village administration. This was made up of all family heads that represented their respective families at the Village Assembly. The village assembly, which was a form of direct democracy, was also known as Oha-na-eze. (b) Democratic tenets of the Igbo Traditional Political System (any four): (i) Power was shared constitutionally along all political levels. (ii) Decentralized political structures. (iii) The political system guaranteed citizens authority to contribute to decision making. (iv) People were governed by their own consent. (v) Arbitrary use of power was non-existent in the Igbo traditional political system. (vi) The political system was more like the Republican as decisions were reached by consensus. (vii) Each Igbo political institution acted as a check on the other to ensure orderly governance of the society. (viii) Political position was not hereditary but earned.