2001 - JAMB Government Past Questions and Answers - page 3

Some pre-colonial Nigerian societies are described as stateless because they had no formal governmental institutions.
For instance the Ibos unlike Yorubas and the Fulamis has a complex and complicated system of administration in pre-colonial era. There was no sort of central authority, what they had was a diffusion of political authority into different groups.

The method used by the British to facilitate the administration of Southern Nigeria was divide and rule.
The system brought about division between the traditional rulers who were looked upon a British puppets and the alienated educated elites thereby, strengthening the policy divide and rule.

A major function of the warrant Chiefs was to take charge of local administration.

The chiefs were the heads of the administration of their various communities

After 1945, the demand of African nationalists changed from reform to independence because the second World War boosted their morale.

The war exposed the myth surrounding white supremacy. The ex-soldiers from West African saw that the whites were not as strong as they portrayed themselves to Nigerians and in fact that coming back from the war they assorted their rights and joined the nationalists in the struggle for independence.

When Nigeria achieved independence in 1960, the Head of state was the governor General.

One of the main provisions of the constitution of 1960 was that the governor general was made the constitutional ceremonial Head of state and a representative of the Queen of England.

G.A.I Ofoegbu (1999) described the Queen of England as the "Over all head of the country" that is called Nigeria.

The central legislature of Nigeria became bicameral in 1960. McPherson constitution of 1951 created two chambers regional legislatures known as the house of chiefs and the house of Assembly in the Northern and Western region. Coming then to independence constitution of 1960. Bicameral legislatures were adopted in both the federal and regional government including the Eastern region.

The 1979 constitutions recognized local government as a third tier government in Nigeria. General Murtala Mahammed inaugurated a Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC)on October 18, 1975. The draft constitution was then approved by General Olusegun Obasanjo as the 1979 Nigeria cobnstitution which took effect from October 1, 1979. One of the features of the constitution is that it provided for democratically elected local government councils as the third tier of government in Nigeria

Under the 1963 constitution, items not listed in the exclusive and concurrent list were within the exclusive competence of the regional legislatures.Sir Oliver Lyttleton constitution of 1954 classified government powers into three:
1. Exclusive powers - matters where only the federal or central government can legislate only.
2. Concurrent powers - matters where both the federal government and regional (state) can legislate and
Residual 0powers reserved for the regional legislature only.

Before Nigeria became a republic, the highest body charged with the administration of justice was the Privy council. one of the features of the Republican Constitution of 1963 is that the supreme court of Nigeria became the highest court in Nigeria. Appeal cases stopped going to the privy council in London

The equivalent of a commissioner at the local government level is the supervisory Councillor. At the state level, a commissioner is the highest or completely in-charge of a particular ministry. For instance, the commissioner for education. He does not come in through election but through the appointment by the government of the state. Coming to the local government level, the supervisory Councillor for education as well as any other supervisory Councillor is appointed to the Executive Chairman of the local government subject to the approved of the Councillors.