Government Syllabus

Definition and Scope of Government

Basic Concepts of Government

• •Power, Influence, Authority, Legitimacy, Sovereignty
• •Society, State, Nation, Nation-State
• •Political Processes: Political Socialization, Political Participation, Political Culture

Forms of Government

• •Monarchy, Aristocracy, Oligarchy, Autocracy, Republicanism, Democracy — definitions, features, merits and demerits

Arms of Government

• •The Legislature — types, structure, functions, powers
• •The Executive — types, functions, powers
• •The Judiciary — functions, powers, components
• •Their relationships

Structures of Governance

• •Unitary — features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits
• •Federal — features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits
• •Confederal — features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits

Systems of Governance

• •Presidential, Parliamentary and Monarchical, features, merits and demerits

Political Ideologies

• •Communalism, Feudalism, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Totalitarianism, Fascism, Nazism, Liberalism

Constitution

• •Meaning, Sources, Functions, Types — Written, Unwritten, Rigid and Flexible

Principles of Democratic Government

• •Ethics and Accountability in Public Office, Separation of Power, Checks and Balances, Individual and Collective Responsibility, Constitutionalism, Rule of Law, Representative Government, Centralization and Decentralization of Government

Processes of Legislation

• •Legislative Enactments — Acts, Edicts, Bye-laws, Delegated Legislation, Decrees

Citizenship

• •Meaning, types
• •Citizenship rights
• •Dual citizenship, renunciation, deprivation
• •Duties and obligations of citizens
• •Duties and obligations of the state

The Electoral Process

• •Suffrage — evolution, types
• •Election — types, ingredients of free and fair election, pre- and post-election crisis
• •Electoral System — types, advantages and disadvantages of each
• •Electoral Commission — functions, problems

Political Parties and Party Systems

• •Political parties — Definition, organization, functions
• •Party Systems — Definition, organization, functions, merits and demerits

Pressure Groups

• •Definition, types, functions and modes of operation
• •Differences between Pressure Groups and Political Parties

Public Opinion

• •Meaning, formation and measurement
• •Functions and limitations

The Civil Service/Public Service

• •Definition, characteristics, functions, structure, control and problems of the civil service
• •Definition, characteristics, functions, structure, control and problems of the public service

Pre-colonial Polities

• •Pre-jihad Hausa/Fulani Emirate, Tiv, Igbo, Yoruba
• •Their structural organization
• •The functions of their various political institutions

Imperialists Penetration

• •The British process of acquisition — trade, missionary activities, company rule, crown colony, protectorate
• •The British colonial administrative policy — direct and indirect rule
• •The French colonial administrative policy — assimilation and association
• •Impact of British colonial rule — economic, political, socio-cultural
• •Comparison of British and French colonial administration

Process of Decolonization

• •Nationalism — Meaning, Types
• •Nationalist Movements — emergence, goals, strategies
• •Nationalist Leaders — Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Ladipo Solanke, Aminu Kano, J. S. Tarka, Tafawa Balewa and others
• •Emergence of Nationalist Parties
• •Influence of external factors

Constitutional Development in Nigeria

• •Hugh Clifford Constitution (1922)
• •Arthur Richards Constitution (1946)
• •John Macpherson Constitution (1951)
• •Oliver Lyttleton Constitution (1954)
• •Independence Constitution (1960)
• •Their features, merits and demerits

Post-Independence Constitutions

• •1963, 1979, 1989 and 1999 (As Amended) — characteristics and shortcomings

Institutions of Government in the Post-Independence Nigeria

• •The Legislative — structures, functions and workings
• •The Executive — structure, functions and workings
• •The Judiciary — structure, functions and workings

Public Commissions Established by the 1979 and Subsequent Constitutions

• •The Civil Service Commission, the Public Complaints Commission, Electoral Commissions, National Boundary Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Others — objectives, functions and problems

Political Parties and Party Politics in Post-Independence Nigeria

• •First Republic
• •Second Republic
• •Third Republic
• •Fourth Republic — Evolution, membership spread, structure, etc.

The Structure and Workings of Nigerian Federalism

• •Rationale for a Federal System
• •Tiers of Government and their relationship
• •Creation of States — 1963, 1967, 1976, 1987, 1991, 1996
• •Problems of Nigerian Federalism — Census, Revenue Allocation, Conflicts etc., solutions e.g. The Federal Character Principle, etc.

Public Corporations and Parastatals

• •Definition, types, purpose and functions
• •Finance, control and problems
• •Deregulation, Privatization and Commercialization — objectives, features, merits and demerits
• •Comparison between Public Corporations and parastatals

Local Government

• •Local Government Administration prior to 1976
• •Features of Local Government Reforms (1976, 1989) — structure, functions, finance and inter-governmental relations
• •Traditional Rulers and Local Governments
• •Problems of Local Government Administration in Nigeria

The Military in Nigerian Politics

• •Factors that led to military intervention
• •Structure of military regimes
• •Impact of military rule — political, e.g. creation of states, NYSC, introduction of unitary system (Unification Decree NO. 34) etc., economic, e.g. SAP, DFRRI, Peoples Bank, MAMSER, etc.
• •Processes of military disengagement

Foreign Policy

• •Definition, purpose, determining factors; formulation and implementation

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy

• •Relations with major powers
• •Relations with developing countries, e.g. the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), Peace-Keeping Operations etc.
• •Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy

Nigeria’s Relations with African Countries

• •Africa as the "centre piece" of Nigeria’s foreign policy — guiding principles, implementation and implications
• •NEPAD — origin, objectives and implications

Nigeria in International Organizations

• •The United Nations
• •The Commonwealth
• •The Organization of African Unity
• •The African Union
• •The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• •The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

International Organizations

• •ECOWAS
• •OAU, AU
• •Commonwealth
• •OPEC
• •UNO
• •African Petroleum Producers Association
• •Origin, objectives, structure, functions, achievements, problems and prospects of these organizations