JAMB Government 1979

E: None of the above

Speech, religion, expression through the press, and association are recognized human freedoms. Since each listed freedom is protected, none of the first four is an exception.

D: organized bodies which try to influence legislation or government decisions in their favour

Pressure groups are organized bodies seeking to influence public policy or legislation in support of particular interests. They do not necessarily seek to form a government themselves.

D: make laws for the general welfare of citizens

The legislature's central role is making laws for the community. Oversight and financial scrutiny are also legislative activities, but they support rather than replace its lawmaking role.

C: general arrangement rules and national objectives within which political activities are conducted

A constitution establishes the basic institutions, powers and rules through which political activity takes place. It provides the framework for government rather than a ready-made solution to every political dispute.

C: to make law

The legislature primarily makes laws. Implementing and enforcing laws belong mainly to the executive, while interpreting and applying them in disputes belong to the judiciary.

D: the right to vote

The franchise is the right to vote. A ballot paper is the instrument used to cast a vote, while a tax receipt or court order is not itself the electoral right.

D: all of the above

Delegated legislation is also described as subordinate, administrative or executive legislation. Each label refers to rules made under authority granted by the primary legislature.

C: the electorate

The electorate is the body of people legally qualified to vote. Candidates and political parties seek its support in elections.

C: amendment procedure

Rigid and flexible constitutions are distinguished by their amendment procedures. Rigidity requires a special process beyond ordinary legislation.

B: loyalty to the state and participation in the political process

Citizenship involves allegiance to the state and participation in its public life. Loyalty to an ethnic group, school or local council is narrower than this national civic relationship.

C: written constitutions

Federal systems use written constitutional arrangements to establish and divide governmental powers. Federalism does not require a presidential executive or a fixed total of four government tiers.

E: a system of checks and balances

Checks and balances constrain interference by one branch in another’s work. They provide an institutional safeguard for judicial independence beyond the goodwill of an individual leader.

D: The Executive

The executive conducts the continuing administration of the state, including while the legislature is not sitting. Its authority remains subject to constitutional and legal limits.

C: the rule of Law

The rule of law requires government to act through law and treat people fairly rather than arbitrarily. It connects public authority with legal constraints and equal justice.

B: the body which makes law

The legislature is the branch responsible for making laws. Administering law belongs mainly to the executive, while interpretation is primarily a judicial function.

B: all adult males can vote

Adult male suffrage means the voting franchise extends to adult men as a category. It differs from universal adult suffrage, which includes adult women as well.

C: Sir Frederick Lugard

Frederick Lugard is associated with establishing the British system of indirect rule in Nigeria, administering through existing local rulers under colonial supervision.

A: The District Commissioner

Of the colonial offices listed, the District Commissioner operated at the most local administrative level. Provincial and central colonial offices covered wider jurisdictions.

A: authoritarian

Colonial authority was ultimately controlled by the imperial government rather than accountable to the Nigerian electorate. Limited representation did not make the colonial system democratic.

D: Dr Akinwande Savage

Dr Akinwande Savage helped initiate the National Congress of British West Africa with J. E. Casely Hayford. The organization brought together nationalist representatives from Britain's West African colonies.

C: 1963

The Mid-Western Region was created in 1963 from the Western Region. It became Nigeria's fourth region before the later transition from regions to states.

C: the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is Nigeria's highest appellate court. Appeals permitted from the Court of Appeal therefore go to it, subject to the constitutional rules on final decisions and appeal rights.

C: the assembly of the heads of state and government

The OAU Charter made the Assembly of Heads of State and Government its supreme organ. The Council of Ministers and secretariat performed other functions under the organization's structure.

E: the security council

The UN Charter assigns primary responsibility for international peace and security to the Security Council. Other UN organs contribute to peace through different functions and powers.

B: minority problems and fears

The Willink Commission investigated minority fears and possible safeguards in Nigeria's constitutional arrangements. Its remit concerned political protection for minorities rather than banking or university administration.

D: Addis Ababa

The Organization of African Unity was headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its successor, the African Union, also has its headquarters in that city.

D: Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast had not experienced a military coup by 1979, unlike the other listed countries. Its first coup came in 1999, so the historical date is essential to the answer.

B: an attempt to progressively eliminate obstacles to free movement of goods, services and people throughout West Africa

ECOWAS seeks regional integration, including the progressive removal of barriers to movement and trade. It includes countries with different official languages and is not an arm of the United Nations.

E: Oyomesi

The Oyo Mesi acted as kingmakers in selecting the Alaafin within the traditional Oyo political system. This council also exercised checks on the ruler and was distinct from the Ogboni association.

E: the colonial people could not withstand the technological superiority of the colonial power

European military and technological advantages helped colonial powers impose rule despite African resistance. The other alternatives wrongly assume that colonized peoples universally welcomed or accepted colonial domination.

B: Sékou Touré

Sékou Touré led Guinea's rejection of the 1958 proposal to join the French Community. Guinea consequently moved to immediate independence rather than accepting the proposed constitutional association.