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

Candidates should be able to:

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

Arms of Government: Candidates should be able to:

a. The Legislature – types, structure, i. identify the duties and obligations of
functions, powers; the various arms of government and their
b. The Executive – types, functions, agencies;
powers;
c. The Judiciary – functions, powers,

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ii. relate each arm to its functions; iii.

appreciate how these arms interrelates.

TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

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components.
d. Their relationships

4. Structures of Governance: Candidates should be able to:

a. Unitary – features, i. compare the various political structures of
reasons for governance.
adoption, merits and demerits
b. Federal – features, reasons for
adoption, merits and demerits
c. Confederal - features, reasons for
adoption, merits and demerits.

5. Systems of Governance: Presidential, Candidates should be able to:

Parliamentary and Monarchical. i. distinguish between the different
systems of governance.
6. Political Ideologies:
Communalism, Feudalism, Capitalism, Candidates should be able to:
Socialism, Communism, Totalitarianism, i. differentiate between the major
Fascism, Nazism. political ideologies;
ii. contrast modes of production,

7. Constitution: Candidates should be able to:

Meaning, Sources, Functions, Types - i. Define and identify sources
Written, Unwritten, Rigid and Flexible. and
functions of constitutions;
8. Principles of Democratic Government: ii. compare the nature of constitutions.
Ethics and Accountability in Public Office,
Separation of Power, Checks and Balances,
Individual and Collective Responsibility,
Constitutionalism, Rule of Law, Candidates should be able to:
Representative Government. i. identify the principles of democratic
government; ii. determine the application of these
9. Processes of Legislation: principles;
Legislative Enactments – acts, edicts, bye-
laws, delegated legislation, decrees.
Candidates should be able to:
10. Citizenship: i. analyse the processes involved in the making of
a. Meaning, types; laws.
b. Citizenship rights;
c. Dual citizenship, renunciation, Candidates should be able to:
deprivation; i. differentiate between the various
d. Duties and obligations methods of acquiring citizenship;
of citizens; ii. specify the rights and responsibilities of
e. Duties and obligations of the a citizen;
state. iii. assess the obligations of the state.

11. The Electoral Process:

a. Suffrage – evolution, types;
b. Election – types, ingredients of
free and fair election;
Candidates should be able to:

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c. Electoral System - types, i. distinguish the different types of franchise ii.

advantages and disadvantages of identify and explain the types of
each; electoral systems
d. Electoral Commission – functions, iii. analyse the various electoral processes.
problems.

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TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

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12. Political Parties and Party Systems:

a. Political parties – Candidates should be able to:
Definition, Organization, i. assess the role of political parties; ii.
functions. distinguish between types of party systems.
b. Party Systems – Definition,
organization, functions.

Candidates should be able to:

13. Pressure Groups:
i. evaluate the functions and the modus operandi
a. Definition, types, functions and modes
of pressure groups; ii. distinguish between
of operation.
pressure groups
b. Differences between Pressure Groups
and political parties.
and Political Parties.

14. Public Opinion: Candidates should be able to:

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

15. The Civil Service: Candidates should be able to:

Definition, characteristics, functions, i. analyse the significance of civil service in
structure, control and problems. governance.

PART II POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

1. Pre – colonial Polities: Candidates should be able to:

Pre-jihad Hausa, Emirate, Tiv, Igbo, i. appreciate the effectiveness of the
Yoruba precolonial political systems; ii.
a. Their structural organization; compare pre-colonial systems
b. The functions of their various political of governance.
institutions.

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

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TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

3. Process of Decolonization:

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a. Nationalism – Meaning, Types; Candidates should be able to:

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

Constitutional Development in Nigeria:

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

Post – Independence Constitutions:

4. 1963, 1979, 1989 and 1999–
characteristics and shortcomings.
Candidates should be able to:
i. assess the workings of the various
Institutions of Government in the Post – constitutions.
Independence Nigeria:
a. The Legislative – structure, functions Candidates should be able to:
and working. i. evaluate the operations of the arms of
5. b. The Executive – structure, functions government and their agencies, e.g the
and workings. civil service, armed forces, police,
c. The Judiciary – structure, functions and courts and others.
workings.

6. Public Commissions Established by the

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

7.
Political Parties and Party Politics in
Post-Independence Nigeria: a. First
Republic
b. Second Republic Candidates should be able to:
c. Third Republic i. contrast political processes in the
d. Fourth Republic republics;
- Evolution, membership spread, ii. evaluate the ideologies, structure and
structure etc. composition of the political parties.
8.

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TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

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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 ii. identify its problems; iii. evaluate
and their the corrective measure adopted.
relationship;
c. Creation of States – 1963, 1967,
1976, 1987, 1991, 1996;
d. Problems of Nigerian Federalism –
census, revenue allocation, conflicts
etc. solutions e.g. Federal character,
etc.
Candidates should be able to:
10. Public Corporations and Parastatals: i. examine the operations of public
a. Definition, types, purpose and corporations and parastatals;
functions; ii. identify the processes involved in
b. Finance, control and problems; privatization and commercialization;
c. Deregulation, privatization, iii. assess the economic importance of
commercialization – objectives, privatization and commercialization.
features, merits and demerits;
d. Comparison between public
corporations and parastatals.

Candidates should be able to:

11. Local Government:
i. trace the evolution and structure of local
a. Local government
government;
administration
ii. identify the major problems faced by
prior to 1976; local governments.
b. Features of local government reforms
(1976, 1989) – structure, functions,
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 i. evaluate the reasons given for military
military intervention;
intervention; ii. assess the achievements of military
rule;
b. Structure of military regimes;
iii. determine the conditions that
c. Impact of military rule – political, e.g
necessitated withdrawal from
creation of states, introduction of
governance.
unitary system (Unification Decree
NO. 34) etc. economic, e.g SAP, etc.
d. Processes of military disengagement.

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TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES OBJECTIVES

PART III: FOREIGN POLICY AND

NIGERIA’S RELATIONS WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

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Foreign Policy:
1. - Definition, purpose, determining Candidates should be able to:
factors; formulation and i. Define foreign policy, identify and
implementation. explain its determinants

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: Candidates should be able to:

2. a. Relations with major powers; i. identify the major objectives of
b. Relations with
Nigeria’s foreign policy.
developing
ii. analyse Nigeria’s non-aligned posture.
countries, e.g the Technical Aid
Corps (TAC), etc.
c. Nigeria’s Non-Alignment Policy.

3.
Relations with African Countries:
a. Africa as the “centre piece” of
Nigeria’s forieign policy – guiding
principles, implementation and Candidates should be able to:
implications; i. evaluate the role of Nigeria in
b. NEPAD – origin, objectives and continental affairs;
implications. ii. assess the role of NEPAD in developing
4. Africa.
Nigeria in International Organizations
a. The United Nations;
b. The Commonwealth;
c. The Organization of African Unity; Candidates should be able to:
d. The African Union; i. analyse the dynamics of Nigeria’s
e. The Economic Community of West involvement in
African States (ECOWAS); international organizations; ii. assess
f. The Organization of their contribution to the
Petroleum Exporting Countries development of Nigeria.
(OPEC).

PART IV: INTERNATIONAL

1. ORGANIZATIONS:

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

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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.

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