JAMB Government Syllabus

1. Definition and Scope of Government

2. Basic Concepts of Government

• a.
• Power, Influence, Authority,
• Legitimacy, Sovereignty;
• b. Society, State, Nation, Nation-State;
• c.
• Political Processes;
• Political Socialization, Political
• Participation, Political Culture.

3. Forms of Government:

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

4. Arms of Government:

• a.
• The Legislature – types, structure, functions, powers;

5. Structures of Governance:

• a.
• Unitary – features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits
• b. Federal – features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits
• c.
• Confederal - features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits.

6. Systems of Governance:

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

7. Political Ideologies:

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

8. Constitution:

• Meaning, Sources, Functions, Types -
• Written, Unwritten, Rigid and Flexible.

9. 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.

10. Processes of Legislation:

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

11. Citizenship:

• a. Meaning, types;
• b. Citizenship rights;
• c. Dual citizenship, renunciation, deprivation;
• d. Duties and obligations of citizens;
• e. Duties and obligations of the state.

12. The Electoral Process:

• a.
• Suffrage – evolution, types;
• i. identify the duties and obligations of the various arms of government and their agencies;
• ii. relate each arm to its functions;
• iii. appreciate how these arms interrelates.

13. Political Parties and Party Systems:

• a.
• Political parties – Definition, organization, functions.
• b. Party Systems – Definition, organization, functions, merits and demerits.

14. Pressure Groups:

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

15. Public Opinion:

• a.
• Meaning, formation and measurement.
• b. Functions and limitations.

16. The Civil Service/Public Service:

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

1. Pre – colonial Polities:

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

2. Imperialists Penetration:

• a.
• The British process of acquisition – trade, missionary activities, company rule, crown colony, protectorate;
• ii. identify and explain the types of electoral systems;
• iii. analyse the various electoral processes.

3. Process of Decolonization:

• a.
• Nationalism – Meaning, Types;
• b. Nationalist Movements – emergence, goals, strategies;
• c.
• Nationalist Leaders – Herbert
• Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe,
• Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello,
• Ladipo 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:

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

5. Post – Independence Constitutions:

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

6. Institutions of Government in the Post –

• Independence Nigeria:
• a.
• The Legislative – structures, functions and workings.
• b. The Executive – structure, functions and workings.
• c.
• The Judiciary – structure, functions and workings.

7. Public Commissions Established by the

• 1979 and Subsequent Constitutions:
• The Civil Service Commission, the Public
• Complaints Commission, Electoral
• Commissions, National Boundary
• Commission, Independent Corrupt
• iii. distinguish between British and French colonial practices.

8. Political Parties and Party Politics in

• Post-Independence Nigeria:
• a.
• First Republic
• b. Second Republic
• c.
• Third Republic
• d. Fourth Republic
• -
• Evolution, membership spread, structure, etc.

9. The

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

10. Public Corporations and Parastatals:

• a. Definition, types, purpose and functions;
• b. Finance, control and problems;
• c. Deregulation, Privatization and
• Commercialization – objectives, features, merits and demerits;
• d. Comparison between Public
• Corporations and parastatals.

11. Local Government:

• a.
• Local Government Administration prior to 1976;
• 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

• a.
• Factors that led to military intervention;
• b. Structure of military regimes;

NIGERIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE

• INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

1. Foreign Policy:

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

2. Nigeria’s Foreign Policy:

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

3. Nigeria’s Relations with African

• Countries:
• a. Africa as the “centre piece” of
• Nigeria’s foreign policy – guiding principles, implementation and implications;
• b. NEPAD – origin, objectives and implications.

4. Nigeria in International Organizations

• a.
• The United Nations;
• b. The Commonwealth;
• c.
• The Organization of African Unity;
• d. The African Union;
• e.
• The Economic Community of West
• African States (ECOWAS);
• f.
• The Organization of Petroleum
• Exporting Countries (OPEC).

ORGANIZATIONS:

1. International Organizations:

• a.
• ECOWAS;
• b. OAU, AU;
• c.
• Commonwealth;
• ii. assess the achievements of military rule;
• iii. determine the conditions that necessitated withdrawal from the political scene.