JAMB Government 2015

25 reviewed questions with answers and explanations.

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Question 1

The main attributes of a state are

  1. government, the police and the armed forces
  2. population, territory, government and sovereignty
  3. federal state and local governments
  4. the press, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary
Answer and explanation

B: population, territory, government and sovereignty

The conventional elements of a state are a population, defined territory, government and sovereignty. Particular institutions such as police or a press do not replace these elements.

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Question 3

In the history of Nigeria, 1914 was the

  1. year the British established their rule over Nigeria
  2. beginning of first world war
  3. year Lugard effected amalgamation of Nigeria
  4. year the railway system was completed
Answer and explanation

C: year Lugard effected amalgamation of Nigeria

In 1914, Frederick Lugard brought the Northern and Southern protectorates together in the amalgamation that formed Nigeria. British rule in parts of the territory had begun earlier.

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Question 4

Which of these rulers resisted colonial rule and was deported to Calabar?

  1. King Kosoko
  2. King Dosunmu
  3. Oba Ovonramwen
  4. King Jaja
Answer and explanation

C: Oba Ovonramwen

Oba Ovonramwen of Benin was deposed following the British expedition of 1897 and sent into exile in Calabar. He remained there until his death in 1914.

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Question 5

How many states were created in Nigeria in 1967?

  1. 4
  2. 12
  3. 19
  4. 21
Answer and explanation

B: 12

The1967 state-creation arrangement divided Nigeria into twelve states, replacing the former regional structure. Later exercises increased the number of states.

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Question 8

The first Governor-General of Nigeria was

  1. Lord Lugard
  2. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe
  3. Sir James Robertson
  4. Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi
Answer and explanation

A: Lord Lugard

Lord Lugard was the first Governor-General of the united colonial Nigeria. Nnamdi Azikiwe held that office later, during independent Nigeria, so the two firsts refer to different historical periods.

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Question 9

The main role of pressure groups is to

  1. influence the legislature to make decision favourable to them
  2. inject emotion and selfish debates
  3. influence the public
  4. use all means, including bribery, to achieve their objectives
Answer and explanation

A: influence the legislature to make decision favourable to them

Pressure groups seek to influence public decisions in favour of their interests or causes. Lobbying the legislature is one method; bribery is not a legitimate defining feature of their role.

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Question 10

The OAU was formed in

  1. 1946
  2. 1956
  3. 1960
  4. 1963
Answer and explanation

D: 1963

The Organization of African Unity was established in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963. It later developed into the African Union, launched in 2002.

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Question 11

The first African Secretary-General of the United Nations is

  1. Boutros Boutros-Ghali
  2. Joe Garba
  3. Ibrahim Gambari
  4. Kofi Annan
Answer and explanation

A: Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt became the first African Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1992. Kofi Annan of Ghana succeeded him in 1997.

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Question 15

An electoral process in which candidates are selected for elective offices by party members is

  1. primary election
  2. electoral college
  3. bye election
  4. general election
Answer and explanation

A: primary election

A primary election selects a political partys candidates for a later public election. Party members or delegates participate according to the partys nomination rules.

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Question 16

Nigeria spearheaded the formation of ECOWAS during the regime of

  1. Olusegun Obasanjo
  2. Yakubu Gowon
  3. Muritala Muhammad
  4. Ibrahim Babangida
Answer and explanation

B: Yakubu Gowon

ECOWAS was founded in 1975 during Yakubu Gowons leadership of Nigeria. Gowon and Togos Gnassingbe Eyadema played leading roles in its creation.

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Question 17

Who was the political head of the Old Oyo Empire?

  1. Bashorun
  2. Oyomesi
  3. Aremo
  4. Alaafin
Answer and explanation

D: Alaafin

The Alaafin was the ruler and political head of the Old Oyo Empire. The other titles refer to different offices or institutions within its political organization.

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Question 18

Federalism was introduced in Nigeria under the

  1. Lyttleton Constitution
  2. Macpherson Constitution
  3. Richards Constitution
  4. Independence
Answer and explanation

A: Lyttleton Constitution

The Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 established Nigeria’s federal constitutional structure. It divided governmental authority between the central government and regional governments.

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Question 20

When a bill passed by legislature is vetoed by the executive, the action underscores the principle of

  1. collective responsibility
  2. probity and accountability
  3. checks and balances
  4. separation of powers
Answer and explanation

C: checks and balances

An executive veto checks the legislature by preventing a bill from becoming law immediately. Where permitted, a legislative override provides a reciprocal check on the executive.

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Question 28

France introduced the policy of assimilation in her colonies primarily to

  1. teach them the art of leadership
  2. give them a sound education
  3. change their way of life
  4. discourage them from ritual killings
Answer and explanation

C: change their way of life

Assimilation aimed to reshape colonial subjects' institutions and culture along French lines. Its stated civilizing rationale sought cultural conformity rather than simply providing leadership training.

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Question 29

In the Oyo traditional political system, the Alafin of Oyo was elected or chosen by a group known as

  1. Oyo Mesi
  2. Bales
  3. Obas
  4. Ogboni
Answer and explanation

A: Oyo Mesi

The Oyo Mesi acted as the council of kingmakers in the Oyo political system. Their role in choosing the Alaafin formed part of the institutional balance around the monarchy.

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Question 32

The Independent National Electoral Commission has the power to prepare and maintain the register of

  1. electoral candidates
  2. voters
  3. political parties
  4. constituencies
Answer and explanation

B: voters

INEC maintains the register of eligible voters as part of election administration. Voter registration identifies electors and differs from the registration of political parties.

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Question 33

In which of the following systems is the power of the component units more than that of the central government?

  1. Monarchical
  2. Federal Governments
  3. Unitary
  4. Confederal
Answer and explanation

D: Confederal

A confederation is an association whose member states retain sovereignty and delegate limited functions to joint institutions. The common authority therefore depends strongly on its constituent states.

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Question 34

The two leaders that played the most prominent roles in the formation of the ECOWAS were

  1. Gowon and Eyadema
  2. Kountche and Senghor
  3. Kerekou and Tubman
  4. Acheampong and Jawara
Answer and explanation

A: Gowon and Eyadema

Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria and Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo worked together to advance the creation of ECOWAS. Their cooperation helped build support for the 1975 regional treaty.

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Question 35

Under a presidential system of government, the legislature and the executive are

  1. elected separately to an unfixed term
  2. appointed at the same time to an unfixed term
  3. appointed by the judiciary to a fixed term
  4. elected separately to a fixed term
Answer and explanation

D: elected separately to a fixed term

In the presidential model, the executive and legislature receive separate electoral mandates and normally serve fixed terms. The executive does not depend on continuing parliamentary confidence to remain in office.

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Question 38

The Mid-Western Region was created in Nigeria in

  1. 1961
  2. 1962
  3. 1963
  4. 1964
Answer and explanation

C: 1963

The Mid-Western Region was created in 1963 from the Western Region. This raised the number of regions to four before the 1967 reorganization into states.

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Question 40

One of the principal objectives of the OPEC is to

  1. determine oil prices in the international market
  2. harmonize the oil policies of member countries
  3. discipline erring oil-producing countries
  4. assist non-oil producing developing states
Answer and explanation

B: harmonize the oil policies of member countries

OPEC coordinates and unifies member countries' petroleum policies to protect their interests. Coordination is its stated objective; it does not unilaterally determine every international oil price.

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Question 45

The act of removing an elected official by the electorate is referred to as

  1. impeachment
  2. consensus
  3. recall
  4. plebiscite
Answer and explanation

C: recall

Recall is a procedure through which voters remove an elected officeholder before the normal term ends. Impeachment is an institutional process and is different from direct removal by the electorate.

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Question 47

Citizenship refers to the

  1. legal status of a member of a state
  2. indigenous member of a state
  3. highest position in a state
  4. social status of a person in a state
Answer and explanation

A: legal status of a member of a state

Citizenship is a legal relationship of membership between a person and a state. It is not identical to ancestry, social rank or holding a high government office.

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Question 48

The highest organ of the state during the Babangida Regime was the

  1. Provisional Ruling Council
  2. Supreme Military Council
  3. Armed Forces Ruling Council
  4. Federal Executive Council
Answer and explanation

C: Armed Forces Ruling Council

The Armed Forces Ruling Council was the highest ruling military organ under Ibrahim Babangida. The Provisional Ruling Council and Supreme Military Council belong to other military-government arrangements.

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Question 50

Nigeria’s withdrawal from the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in July 1986 was in protest against British

  1. supply of arms to Rhodesia
  2. failure to impose sanctions on South Africa
  3. negative utterances on Nigeria
  4. support for UNITA rebels in Angola
Answer and explanation

B: failure to impose sanctions on South Africa

Nigeria boycotted the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in protest against Britain's policy on sanctions against apartheid South Africa. This was distinct from the conflicts in Rhodesia or Angola.

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