Government

GOVERNMENT

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Government is to
prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their knowledge in
Government, with a view to determining their suitability for placement in institutions of higher
learning in Nigeria.

These objectives are to:

i. appreciate the meaning of Government;

ii. analyse the framework and specify the institutions of Government;
iii. appreciate the basic principles of democratic governance and their application in
Nigeria;
iv. explain the concept of citizenship and define the duties and obligations of a citizen;
v. appreciate the process of political development in Nigeria;
vi. evaluate the political development and problems of governance in Nigeria;
vii. understand the determinants and dynamics of foreign policy as they relate to Nigeria;
viii. assess the role of Nigeria as a member of the international community and the workings
of international organizations.

DETAILED SYLLABUS

PART 1: ELEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

1. Basic Concepts in Government Candidates should be able to:

a. Power, Authority, Legitimacy, i. identify the fundamental concepts in
Sovereignty; governance;
b. Society, State, Nation, Nation-State; ii. analyse various political processes;
c. Political Processes;
Political Socialization, Political
Participation, Political Culture.

2. Forms of Government: Candidates should be able to:

Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligarchy, i. distinguish between different forms of
Autocracy, Republicanism, Democracy- government.
definitions, features, merits and demerits.

3. Arms of Government: Candidates should be able to:

a. The Legislature – types, structure, i. identify the duties and obligations of the
functions, powers; various arms of government and their
b. The Executive – types, functions, agencies;
powers; ii. relate each arm to its functions;
iii. appreciate how these arms interrelates.

94
 Government

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

c. The Judiciary – functions, powers,

components.
d. Their relationships
Candidates should be able to:
4. Structures of Governance: i. compare the various political structures
a. Unitary – features, reasons for of governance.
adoption, merits and demerits
b. Federal – features, reasons for
adoption, merits and demerits
c. Confederal - features, reasons for
adoption, merits and demerits.
Candidates should be able to:
5. Systems of Governance: i. distinguish between the different
Presidential, Parliamentary and systems of governance.
Monarchical.
Candidates should be able to:
6. Political Ideologies: i. differentiate between the major political
Communalism, Feudalism, Capitalism, ideologies;
Socialism, Communism, Totalitarianism, ii. contrast their modes of production,
Fascism, Nazism.
Candidates should be able to:
i. Define and identify sources and
7. Constitution: functions of constitutions;
Meaning, Sources, Functions, Types - ii. compare the nature of constitutions.
Written, Unwritten, Rigid and Flexible.

8. Principles of Democratic Government: Candidates should be able to:

Ethics and Accountability in Public Office, i. identify the principles of democratic
Separation of Power, Checks and government;
Balances, Individual and Collective ii. determine the application of these
Responsibility, Constitutionalism, Rule of principles;
Law, Representative Government.

9. Processes of Legislation: Candidates should be able to:

Legislative Enactments – Acts, Edicts, i. analyse the processes involved in the
Bye-laws, Delegated Legislation, Decrees. making of laws.

10. Citizenship: Candidates should be able to:

a. Meaning, types; i. differentiate between the various
b. Citizenship rights; methods of acquiring citizenship;
c. Dual citizenship, renunciation, ii. specify the rights and responsibilities of
deprivation; a citizen;
d. Duties and obligations of iii. assess the obligations of the state.
citizens;
e. Duties and obligations of the
state.

11. The Electoral Process: Candidates should be able to:

a. Suffrage – evolution, types; i. distinguish the different types of
b. Election – types, ingredients of free franchise
and fair election; ii. identify and explain the types of
c. Electoral System - types, advantages electoral systems
and disadvantages of each; iii. analyse the various electoral processes.

95
 Government

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

d. Electoral Commission – functions,

problems.
Candidates should be able to:
12. Political Parties and Party Systems: i. assess the role of political parties;
a. Political parties – Definition, ii. distinguish between types of party
organization, functions. systems.
b. Party Systems – Definition,
organization, functions.
Candidates should be able to:
13. Pressure Groups: i. evaluate the functions and the modus
a. Definition, types, functions and operandi of pressure groups;
modes of operation. ii. distinguish between pressure groups and
b. Differences between Pressure Groups political parties.
and Political Parties.

Candidates should be able to:

14. Public Opinion: i. compare methods of assessing public
a. Meaning, formation and opinion;
measurement. ii. assess the functions of public opinion;
b. Functions and limitations. iii. analyse the limitations of public
opinion.

Candidates should be able to:

15. The Civil Service: i. analyse the significance of civil service
Definition, characteristics, functions, in governance.
structure, control and problems.

PART II POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
Candidates should be able to:
1. Pre – colonial Polities: i. appreciate the effectiveness of the pre-
Pre-jihad Hausa, Emirate, Tiv, Igbo, colonial political systems;
Yoruba ii. compare pre-colonial systems of
a. Their structural organization; governance.
b. The functions of their various political
institutions.

2. Imperialist Penetration: Candidates should be able to:

a. The British process of acquisition – i. trace the processes of imperialist
trade, missionary activities, company penetration;
rule, crown colony, protectorate; ii. assess the impact of British and French
b. The British colonial administrative policies;
policy – direct and indirect rule; iii. distinguish between British and French
c. The French colonial administrative colonial practices.
policy – assimilation and association;
d. Impact of British colonial rule-
economic, political, socio-cultural;
e. Comparison of British and French
colonial administration.

96
 Government

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

3. Process of Decolonization: Candidates should be able to:

a. Nationalism – Meaning, Types; i. evaluate the process of decolonization;
b. Nationalist Movements – emergence, ii. assess the roles of nationalist leaders and
goals, strategies; parties;
c. Nationalist Leaders – Herbert iii. assess the impact of external forces and
Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi ideas (Pan-Africanism, Back–to–Africa
Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Ladipo Movements, Second World War etc).
Solanke, Aminu Kano, J. S. Tarka,
Tafawa Balewa and others;
d. Emergence of nationalist parties;
e. Influence of external factors.

4. Constitutional Development in Nigeria: Candidates should be able to:

a. Hugh Clifford Constitution (1922) i. compare the various constitutional
b. Arthur Richards Constitution (1946) developments.
c. John Macpherson Constitution (1951)
d. Oliver Lyttleton Constitution (1954)
e. Independence Constitution (1960)
Their features, merits and demerits.

5. Post – Independence Constitutions: Candidates should be able to:

1963, 1979, 1989 and 1999– i. assess the workings of the various
characteristics and shortcomings. constitutions.

6. Institutions of Government in the Post – Candidates should be able to:

Independence Nigeria: i. evaluate the operations of the arms of
a. The Legislative – structures, government and their agencies, e.g the
functions and workings. civil service, armed forces, police,
b. The Executive – structure, functions courts and others.
and workings.
c. The Judiciary – structure, functions
and workings.

7. Public Commissions Established by the Candidates should be able to:

1979 and Subsequent Constitutions: i. evaluate the operations of public
The Civil Service Commission, the Public commissions;
Complaints Commission, Electoral ii. assess the problems of the Public
Commissions, National Boundary Commissions and their constraints.
Commission and others – objectives
functions and problems.

8. Political Parties and Party Politics in Candidates should be able to:

Post-Independence Nigeria: i. contrast political processes in the
a. First Republic republics;
b. Second Republic ii. evaluate the ideologies, structure and
c. Third Republic composition of the political parties.
d. Fourth Republic
- Evolution, membership spread,
structure, etc.

97
 Government

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

9. The Structure and Workings of Candidates should be able to:

Nigerian Federalism: i. examine the workings of Nigerian
a. Rationale for a Federal System; federalism;
b. Tiers of government and their ii. identify its problems;
relationship; iii. evaluate the corrective measures to be
c. Creation of States – 1963, 1967, 1976, adopted.
1987, 1991, 1996;
d. Problems of Nigerian Federalism –
census, revenue allocation, conflicts
etc. solutions e.g. the Federal
character, etc.

10. Public Corporations and Parastatals: Candidates should be able to:

a. Definition, types, purpose and i. examine the operations of public
functions; corporations and parastatals;
b. Finance, control and problems; ii. identify the processes involved in
c. Deregulation, privatization, and privatization and commercialization;
commercialization – objectives, iii. assess the economic importance of
features, merits and demerits; privatization and commercialization.
d. Comparison between public
corporations and parastatals.

11. Local Government: Candidates should be able to:

a. Local government administration i. trace the evolution and structure of
prior to 1976; local government;
b. Features of local government reforms ii. identify the major problems faced by
(1976, 1989) – structure, functions, local governments.
finance and inter-governmental
relations;
c. Traditional rulers and local
governments;
d. Problems of local government
administration in Nigeria.

12. The Military in Nigerian Politics Candidates should be able to:

a. Factors that led to military i. evaluate the reasons given for military
intervention; intervention;
b. Structure of military regimes; ii. assess the achievements of military
c. Impact of military rule – political, e.g. rule;
creation of states, introduction of iii. determine the conditions that
unitary system (Unification Decree necessitated withdrawal from
NO. 34) etc. economic, e.g. SAP, etc. governance.
d. Processes of military disengagement.

98
 Government

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

PART III: FOREIGN POLICY AND

NIGERIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Candidates should be able to:
1. Foreign Policy: i. Define foreign policy, identify and
- Definition, purpose, determining explain its determinants
factors; formulation and
implementation.
Candidates should be able to:
2. Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: i. identify the major objectives of
a. Relations with major powers; Nigeria’s foreign policy.
b. Relations with developing ii. analyse Nigeria’s non-aligned posture.
countries, e.g. the Technical Aid
Corps (TAC), etc.
c. Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy.

3. Nigeria’s Relations with African Candidates should be able to:

Countries: i. evaluate the role of Nigeria in
a. Africa as the “centre piece” of continental affairs;
Nigeria’s foreign policy – guiding ii. assess the role of NEPAD in
principles, implementation and developing Africa.
implications;
b. NEPAD – origin, objectives and
implications.

4. Nigeria in International Organizations Candidates should be able to:

a. The United Nations; i. analyse the dynamics of Nigeria’s
b. The Commonwealth; involvement in international
c. The Organization of African Unity; organizations;
d. The African Union; ii. assess their contribution to the
e. The Economic Community of West development of Nigeria.
African States (ECOWAS);
f. The Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC).

PART IV: INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATIONS:

1. International Organizations: Candidates should be able to:

a. ECOWAS; i. evaluate the operations of these
b. OAU, AU; international organizations;
c. Commonwealth; ii. assess the role of these organizations in
d. OPEC; world affairs;
e. UNO; iii. appreciate the challenges of these
f. African Petroleum Producers organizations and how they can be
Association; overcome.
- Origin, objectives, structure, functions,
achievements, problems and prospects of
these organizations.

99
 Government

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

Adigwe, F (1985) Essentials of Government for West Africa, Ibadan: University Press Plc.

Anifowose, R and Enemuo, F. C. (eds)(1999) Elements of Politics, Lagos; Malthouse Press

Limited.

Appadorai, A. (1978) The Substance of Politics, London: Oxford University Press.

Ball, A. R. (1983) Modern Politics and Government, London: Macmillan.

Ofoegbu, R. (1977) Government for the Certificate Year, London: George Allen and Unwin.

Olawale, J. B (1987) New Topics on Ordinary Level Government, Ilesha: Jola Publishing.

Oyediran, O. Nwosu, H., Takaya, B., Anifowoshe, R., Femi, B., Godwill, O. and Adigun, A.
(1990) Government for Senior Secondary Schools, Books 1, 2 and 3, Ibadan: Longman.

Oyeneye, I., Onyenwenu, M. and Olusunde, B. E. (2000) Round-Up Government for Senior
Secondary School Certifcate Examination: A Complete Guide, Ibadan: Longman.

Oyovbaire, S., Ogunna, A. E. C., Amucheazi, E. C., Coker, H. O. and Oshuntuyi, O. (2001)
Countdown to Senior Secondary Certificate Examination: Government, Ibadan: Evans.

100