WAEC Government 1990 Past Questions

Practice each question, then open it to see the full details.

Under what constitution did the Supreme Court become the highest Court of Appeal in Nigeria?

A.Lytteton Constitution
B.Republican Constitution
C.Macpherson Constitution
D.Independence Constitution
E.Richards Constitution

(a)Differentiate between constitution and constitutionalism.

(b) What are the characteristics of a constitutional government?

Capitalism is an economic system in which

A.the economy of the state is centrally planned and controlled
B.privated persons are permitted to undertake enterprises
C.accumulation of private property is forbidden
D.the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
E.all big industries and land are publicly owned for the common good

(a) Explain the concept of the Rule of law.

(b) What are the problems associated with the application of the concept?

The process whereby the electorate vote for representatives who in turn vote on their behalf is called

A.an indirect election
B.an unfair election
C.a rigged election
D.a disputed election
E.an unpopular election

Why do some West African countries adopt the Unitary" system of government while others do not?

The main function of the judiciary is to

A.serve as the watchdog of executive
B.enact laws
C.execute the laws of the land
D.interpret the laws
E.protect the interest of accused persons

Discuss the importance of Local Government system in Nigeria.

The lowest class of people in the hierarcy of Feudal system is made up of the

A.Lords
B.Nobles
C.Serfs
D.Kings Servants
E.Knights

(a) What are the functions of the Electoral Commission in the electoral process?

(b) What problems are likely to hinder the success of the commission in Nigeria?

The Nigeria National Democratic Party was founded by

A.Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
B.Chief Obafemi Awolowo
C.Herbert Macaculary
D.Ernest Okoli
E.H.O.Davis

What were the limitations to the powers of the Governor in the colonial administration of Nigeria before the Second World War.

In which system of government does the state require the control of everything and allows no opposition?

A.Feudalism
B.Capitalism
C.Totalitarianism
D.Communism
E.Socialism

Why did the educated elites criticise the policy of Indirect Rule?

Nigeria broke diplomatic relations with Israel because of that country's

A.raid on a Ugandan town
B.occupation of Arab territories, including Egypt
C.non-support of Nigeria civil war
D.support for South Africa
E.Refusal to accept pilgrims from Africa

What were the main decisions of the General Conference of 1950 in lbadan?

In the absence of the existence of traditional rulers in Igbo communities the British colonial administration appointed the

A.Eze
B.Paramount Chiefs
C.Ozo
D.Warrant Chiefs
E.Obi

Discuss the contributions of the Nigerian Youth Movement to Nationalism in Nigeria.

The porgressive nature of Nigeria's foreign policy between 1979 is attributed to all the following except

A.the influence of radical intellectuals
B.military officers who were acting in foreign affairs before coming into the government
C.the influence of the American government
D.Nigeria's oil money
E.public opinion

Explain the meaning and uses of the ECOWAS Fund for co-operation, compensation and development.

In the process of governing, input refers to the

A.decision and actions of the authorities
B.regulations made by the government for the individuals and groups
C.demands made by individuals and groups for acting by the authorities
D.demands which have become official policies
E.actions taken by public official

Under the 1979 Constitution, members of Federal Executive Council were called

A.Ministers
B.Commissioners
C.Senators
D.Supervisory Councilors
E.Dr Joseph Wayas

Northern Nigeria became internally self-government in

A.Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
B.Alhaji Shehu Shagari
C.Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
D.Alhaji Aminu Kano
E.Dr Joseph Wayas

An election which is conducted to fill a vacant seat in a legislature is called a

A.bye-election
B.general election
C.referendum
D.plebiscite
E.mini -election

In Nigeria the institution that preserves civil liberty is the

A.Judicial Service Commission
B.Federal Electoral Commission
C.Law Courts
D.State Security Service
E.Police Commission

Nigeria became a federation under the 1954 Constitution because the constitution

A.provided for equal representation between the North and the South
B.created the post of a Prime Minister
C.Provided for indirect election of members of parliament
D.provided for a division of functions between the centre and the component units
E.abolished the practice of nominating some members of parliament

In a parliamentary system of government, the majority party

A.executes its own laws only
B.legislates all binding laws
C.makes law for the nation
D.forms the government
E.provide all the needs of people

A system in which powerful and rich nobles own the lands which are hired out to the poor people to farm is called

A.feudalism
B.capitalism
C.socialism
D.Communism
E.communalism

The principle of checks and balances is necessary because it

A.prevents government from becoming dictatorial
B.prevents the executives from functioning
C.making the executives stronge than the other organs
D.makes the three organ hate one another
E.leave each organ of governmnet independent of the judiciary

Public opinion is very important because it

A.guarantees a free press
B.protects minorities
C.tells the government what action it must take
D.lets the governmnet know what the people want
E.allows the police to identify trouble makers

Which branch of government is responsible for implementing laws?The

A.Public Service Commission
B.Local Government
C.Exective
D.Legislature
E.Juiciary

In a unitary system of government

A.Parliment is very weak
B.There is high degree of decentralisation
C.Political power is diffused
D.there is high degree of centralization
E.Legislative powers cannot be delegated to local council

The Angola -Nigeria defence pact was abrogated shorty after independence because

A.of opposition from university students in Nigeria
B.the British government was dissatisfied with the arrangement
C.the Prime Minister of Nigeria was dissatisfied with the arrangement
D.the Soviet Union advised Nigeria to abrogate the pact
E.Nigeria wanted to make a similar defence pact with USA

All the following senior officials constituted the advisory council to the emirs in the pre-colonial system except the

A.Waziri
B.Madawaki
C.Galadima
D.Sarkin Fada
E.Ciroma

All the following senior officials constituted the advisory council to the emirs in the pre-colonial system except the

A.Waziri
B.Madawaki
C.Galadima
D.Sarkin Fada
E.Ciroma

The introduction of Indirect Rule in Eastern Nigeria led to the Aba woman riots of

A.1914
B.1929
C.1935
D.1940
E.1956

The first president of the National Council for Nigeria and the Carmerouns (NCNC) was

A.Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
B.Dr Michael Okpara
C.Herbert Macaculary
D.Ernest Okoli
E.Chief Dennis Osadebey

When a constitution is difficult to amend, it is said to be

A.federal
B.unitary
C.written
D.flexible
E.rigid

A political authority which maintains sovereign power over a specific geographical area is termed the

A.nation
B.society
C.state
D.country
E.community

A bill that applies to the whole population and is intended to promote general welfare is called

A.an edict
B.a public bill
C.a decree
D.a private bill
E.an appropriation bill

the political neutrality of civil servants implies that they

A.are not allowed to vote
B.have permanent tenure
C.are not allowed to join any organization or group
D.have no dealings with politicians
E.are not allowed to be inolved in paritisan politics

In which system of government are ceremonial and executive powers usually fused?

A.Parliamentary
B.Federal
C.Persidential
D.Democratic
E.Unitary

Which of the following are not a public corporation? the

A.Nigeria Ports Authority
B.National Electric Power Authority
C.Nigeria National Shipping Line
D.Nigeria Steel Development Authority
E.Nigeria Teachers Institute

A popular principle of colonial administration in British West Africa was

A.association
B.indirect rule
C.paternalism
D.westernization
E.assimilation

The first Governor-General of colonial Nigeria was

A.Sir Hugh Clifford
B.Sir James Robertson
C.John Macpherson
D.Donaid Cameroon
E.Lord Fredrick Lugard

The state legislature in the Second Republic of Nigeria was called the

A.National Assembly
B.Legislative Council
C.Traditional Council
D.House of Assembly
E.House of representative

The first military government in Nigeria was headed by General

A.Yakubu Gowon
B.Aguiyi Lronsi
C.Murtala Mohammed
D.Olusegun Obasanjo
E.Hassan Katsina

The 1979 Constitution of Nigeria

A.provided for a head of government
B.introduced the participation of women in politics
C.provided for a head of state who is also the head of governmnet
D.provided for House of Chiefs
E.made all men equal before the law

In a democracy, franchise is given to all

A.qualified adult citizens
B.loyal party members
C.citizens except members of the armed force
D.citizens
E.resident adults

The deity (such as chi or the oracles) in the traditional Igbo political system mainly performed

A.legislative and executive functions
B.judicary and legislative functions
C.spiritual and executive functions
D.judicary and political functions
E.executive and judiciary functions