This 2022 WAEC Government examination paper focuses extensively on political ideologies, legislative processes, nationalism, and foreign policy formulation. Key recurring subject areas include the mechanics of representative and party systems, pressure groups and mass media influence, West African nationalist movements and decolonization, and international diplomacy involving the African Union, Commonwealth, and United Nations. Enhance your preparation by studying the explanatory notes for every question to deepen your subject understanding and avoid relying solely on rote memorization.
Topics in this paper
Which political system allows only one ideology for the state?
Capitalism or aristocracy might look plausible if students confuse economic systems with broad class structures, but only one option explicitly dictates ideological uniformity. Socialism as a political and economic ideology advocates state ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. In a socialist state, only one political party is allowed to exist, that is, a socialist state is always a one-party state. Examples are China, North Korea, Cuba etc. Common mistake: assuming capitalist systems restrict the state to a single ideology.
In a representative government citizens exercise their political power
Students could erroneously choose directly, forgetting the scale of modern nations, or pick undue political pressure due to negative framing. A representative government is a form of government where the people are governed through elected representatives. In other words, people exercise their political power and participate in the government indirectly through their representatives in government. All modern democracies are examples of a representative government. Common mistake: assuming citizens in a democracy legislate directly on all matters.
The essence of the concept of devolution is to cater for the interest of the
The ruling government or the majority might seem tempting since they hold power, but devolution targets a different demographic structure. Devolution involves the transfer of governmental powers, functions and responsibilities to lower levels of government. The essence of devolution is to ensure that every shade of interests is catered for, especially minority groups. Common mistake: believing devolution is meant to strengthen the ruling majority.
A country's constitution may be derived from which one of the following sources?
Educated elites or civil disobedience might be chosen because they influence political shifts, but they are not foundational constitutional sources. A constitution refers to the rules, regulations, principles and laws through which a state is governed. Sources of a country’s constitution include: Constitutional conferences, judicial precedent, legislative enactments, customs and convention etc. Common mistake: confusing political actors and protests with formal sources of constitutional law.
One major problem associated with the cabinet system of government is the
Large number of ministers or supremacy of the executive might seem like valid structural flaws, but they do not capture the core instability risk. In a cabinet or parliamentary system of government, there is high tendency of frequent change of government especially when the government is formed by a coalition of different political parties. Common mistake: attributing executive supremacy as the primary structural flaw of a cabinet system.
Representative governments around the world pay attention to public opinion because of the following factors except
Protection of the government from media scrutiny might look correct if a student views public opinion as a protective shield, but it contradicts democratic accountability. Public opinion refers to the aggregate views of the majority of the citizens on a specific policy or programme of the government. Public opinion provides direction for government policies, provides feedback on the implementation of programs, etc. It is not meant to shield the government from the scrutiny of the media. Common mistake: viewing public opinion as a tool for shielding officials from oversight.
The determination and execution of government policies is the core function of the
The Public Service Commission or Judicial Service might catch a student's eye due to the inclusion of service terminology, but they have narrower scopes. The Civil Service is the agency of government responsible for the execution/implementation of the policies and programmes of the government. Common mistake: confusing the broad civil service with specialized commissions.
Public corporation has a legal personality which means that
No legal suit can be brought against it might seem plausible if students think corporations are immune like traditional government departments. A public corporation is established by an Act of Parliament to provide essential services to the people at a reduced cost. By virtue of law, a public corporation is a legal entity that can sue and be sued. Common mistake: assuming public corporations share the absolute legal immunity of the sovereign state.
Local government authorities may not receive cooperation from the local people due to the issue of
Accessibility to internet facilities or non availability of spiritual centres might look like modern community hurdles, but they miss the core governance friction. Local governments often face challenges in gaining community support due to perceived lack of alignment with local needs or political affiliations, leading to resistance against initiatives. Common mistake: blaming technological or spiritual deficits rather than political alienation for local non-cooperation.
Delegated legislation can be controlled by
Report writing or press conferences might appear to be oversight tools, but they lack formal legislative weight. Delegated legislation refers to laws made by non-legislative bodies. Delegated legislation can be controlled through: parliamentary control, Judicial control, etc. Common mistake: confusing informal administrative checks with official legislative control mechanisms.
A one party system imposed by law with all other parties proscribed is
A communist political system or socialist party system might be selected interchangeably, but the specific legal prohibition refers to a precise structural definition. A de jure one-party system is legally enforced by the state, prohibiting other parties, often in socialist or communist regimes to maintain ideological uniformity. Common mistake: confusing de jure legal bans with general socialist political labels.
Multi-party system is saddled with the problem of
Limited choice or weak opposition might seem correct if a student mistakes multi-party dynamics for single-party restrictions. Multi-party system is where there are more than two political parties with nearly equal strength in a country. In a multi-party system, citizens are fragmented into different political parties thereby breeding division/divisiveness among the people. Common mistake: associating multi-party setups with limited electoral choices.
One of the importance of voting in a democracy is that, it
Ensures development for all voters or winner takes all policy might sound like economic or structural outcomes, but voting has a deeper participatory role. Voting at elections affords the people to take part in the political decision-making process of their state though indirectly. Common mistake: viewing voting as a direct guarantee of personal economic development.
An electoral system in which the electorate elects a small group of people who in turn elects political office holders is known as
General election or second ballot system might look like standard voting mechanisms, but they involve direct citizen voting rather than an intermediate tier. An electoral college is used in indirect election. Common mistake: confusing direct general polls with indirect college-based selection.
Most pressure groups especially in West Africa fail to achieve their goals as a result of
Good governance or transparency of the legislative might be tempting as opposite states, but internal failings are usually organizational. Pressure groups are groups that seek to influence government policies in the interest of their members. One of the problems confronting pressure groups is the corrupt tendencies of their leaders. Common mistake: blaming external legislative transparency for internal group failures.
A pressure group which resorts to violence as a means of pressing home its demands is described as
Associational or labour agitation might seem correct because they involve organized groups, but they do not inherently denote violent behavior. An anomic pressure group lacks structure, leadership and organization and often resorts to violence to achieve its objectives. Common mistake: confusing organized labor agitation with unstructured anomic groups.
Press control is necessary for a state particularly in the area of
The economy or foreign trade might seem like sensitive state domains, but they are not the primary drivers for total media restriction. Press control is necessary in order to prevent the leakage of some classified information that can affect the security of the state. Common mistake: assuming press censorship is primarily deployed to manage trade and economic data.
The media helps to enrich discourse on national issues through its
Marketing, sales and advertisement, or correspondents might seem vital to media operations, but they focus on logistics rather than intellectual depth. Editorial comments are written by newspapers on a specific subject matter that has to do with socio-political issues in the country. Common mistake: confusing commercial media output with analytical opinion pieces.
Information dissemination and communication in a political environment had been made faster and easier with the advent of
Press censorship or government spokesmen might be considered if one thinks of top-down information management, but they slow down transmission. The advent of social media has made the transmission of messages and information faster especially through the various social media platforms such as: YouTube, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter etc. Common mistake: attributing speed in communication to institutional spokesmen instead of digital platforms.
The passing of laws by an arm of government to regulate society is the function of the
The executive or judiciary might be confused with rule enforcement or interpretation, but rule creation belongs elsewhere. Law-making is the core function of the legislature. Common mistake: confusing the execution of laws by the executive with the initial passing of statutes.
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