Government

subject outline

Topics

• Basic Concepts in Government

  Power, 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.

• Political Ideologies

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

• 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.

• 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; 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.

• Pressure Groups

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

• Pre-colonial Polities

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

• Imperialist 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.

• 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 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, 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, introduction of unitary system (Unification Decree NO. 34) etc. economic, e.g. SAP, etc. Processes of military disengagement.

• Nigeria's Foreign Policy

  Relations with major powers; Relations with developing countries, e.g. the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), 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.