JAMB

JAMB Government Syllabus

1. ELEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT

Basic Concepts in Government

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • identify the fundamental concepts in governance;
  • analyze various political processes.

Forms of Government

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • distinguish between different forms of government.

Arms of Government

Content:

  • The Legislature – types, structure, functions, powers;
  • The Executive – types, functions, powers;
  • The Judiciary – functions, powers, components.
  • Their relationships

Learning Objectives:

  • identify the duties and obligations of the various arms of government and their agencies;
  • relate each arm to its functions;
  • appreciate how these arms interrelate.

Structures of Governance

Content:

  • Unitary – features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits;
  • Federal – features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits;
  • Confederal – features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits.

Learning Objectives:

  • compare the various political structures of governance.

Systems of Governance

Content:

  • Presidential, Parliamentary and Monarchical.

Learning Objectives:

  • distinguish between the different systems of governance.

Political Ideologies

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • differentiate between the major political ideologies;
  • contrast modes of production.

Constitution

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • Define and identify sources and functions of constitutions;
  • compare the nature of constitutions.

Principles of Democratic Government

Content:

  • Ethics and Accountability in Public Office, Separation of Power, Checks and Balances, Individual and Collective Responsibility, Constitutionalism, Rule of Law, Representative Government.

Learning Objectives:

  • identify the principles of democratic government;
  • determine the application of these principles;

Processes of Legislation

Content:

  • Legislative Enactments – acts, edicts, bye-laws, delegated legislation, decrees.

Learning Objectives:

  • analyze the processes involved in the making of laws.

Citizenship

Content:

  • Meaning, types;
  • Citizenship rights;
  • Dual citizenship, renunciation, deprivation;
  • Duties and obligations of citizens;
  • Duties and obligations of the state.

Learning Objectives:

  • differentiate between the various methods of acquiring citizenship;
  • specify the rights and responsibilities of a citizen;
  • assess the obligations of the state.

The Electoral Process

Content:

  • Suffrage – evolution, types;
  • Election – types, ingredients of free and fair election;
  • Electoral System – types, advantages and disadvantages of each;
  • Electoral Commission – functions, problems.

Learning Objectives:

  • distinguish the different types of franchise;
  • identify and explain the types of electoral systems;
  • analyze the various electoral processes.

Political Parties and Party Systems

Content:

  • Political parties – Definition, Organization, functions;
  • Party Systems – Definition, organization, functions.

Learning Objectives:

  • assess the role of political parties;
  • distinguish between types of party systems.

Pressure Groups

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the functions and the modus operandi of pressure groups;
  • distinguish between pressure groups and political parties.

Public Opinion

Content:

  • Meaning, formation and measurement;
  • Functions and limitations.

Learning Objectives:

  • compare methods of assessing public opinion;
  • assess the functions of public opinion;
  • analyze the limitations of public opinion.

The Civil Service

Content:

  • Definition, characteristics, functions, structure, control and problems.

Learning Objectives:

  • analyze the significance of civil service in governance.

2. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Pre-colonial Polities

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • appreciate the effectiveness of the pre-colonial political systems;
  • compare pre-colonial systems of governance

Imperialist Penetration

Content:

  • 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.

Learning Objectives:

  • trace the processes of imperialist penetration;
  • assess the impact of British and French policies;
  • distinguish between British and French colonial practices.

Process of Decolonization

Content:

  • 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.

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the process of decolonization;
  • assess the roles of nationalist leaders and parties;
  • assess the impact of external forces and ideas (Pan-Africanism, Back-to-Africa Movements, Second World War etc).

Constitutional Development in Nigeria

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • compare the various constitutional developments.

Post-Independence Constitutions

Content:

  • 1963, 1979, 1989 and 1999- characteristics and shortcomings.

Learning Objectives:

  • assess the workings of the various constitutions.

Institutions of Government in the Post-Independence Nigeria

Content:

  • The Legislative – structure, functions and working;
  • The Executive – structure, functions and workings;
  • The Judiciary – structure, functions and workings.

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the operations of the arms of government and their agencies, e.g the civil service, armed forces, police, courts and others.

Public Commissions Established by the 1979 and Subsequent Constitutions

Content:

  • The Civil Service Commission, the Public Complaints Commission, Electoral Commissions, National Boundary Commission and others – objectives functions and problems

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the operations of public commissions;
  • assess the problems of the Public Commissions and their constraints.

Political Parties and Party Politics in Post-Independence Nigeria

Content:

  • First Republic;
  • Second Republic;
  • Third Republic;
  • Fourth Republic – Evolution, membership spread, structure etc.

Learning Objectives:

  • contrast political processes in the republics;
  • evaluate the ideologies, structure and composition of the political parties.

The Structure and Workings of Nigerian Federalism

Content:

  • 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. Federal character, etc.

Learning Objectives:

  • examine the workings of Nigerian federalism;
  • identify its problems;
  • evaluate the corrective measure adopted.

Public Corporations and Parastatals

Content:

  • Definition, types, purpose and functions;
  • Finance, control and problems;
  • Deregulation, privatization, commercialization – objectives, features, merits and demerits;
  • Comparison between public corporations and parastatals.

Learning Objectives:

  • examine the operations of public corporations and parastatals;
  • identify the processes involved in privatization and commercialization;
  • assess the economic importance of privatization and commercialization.

Local Government

Content:

  • 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.

Learning Objectives:

  • trace the evolution and structure of local government;
  • identify the major problems faced by local governments.

The Military in Nigerian Politics

Content:

  • 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

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the reasons given for military intervention;
  • assess the achievements of military rule;
  • determine the conditions that necessitated withdrawal from governance.

3. FOREIGN POLICY AND NIGERIA’S RELATIONS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Foreign Policy

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • Define foreign policy, identify and explain its determinants.

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy

Content:

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

Learning Objectives:

  • identify the major objectives of Nigeria’s foreign policy;
  • analyze Nigeria’s non-aligned posture

Relations with African Countries

Content:

  • Africa as the “centerpiece” of Nigeria’s foreign policy – guiding principles, implementation and implications;
  • NEPAD – origin, objectives and implications.

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the role of Nigeria in continental affairs;
  • assess the role of NEPAD in developing Africa.

Nigeria in International Organizations

Content:

  • 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).

Learning Objectives:

  • analyze the dynamics of Nigeria’s involvement in international organizations;
  • assess their contribution to the development of Nigeria.

4. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

International Organizations

Content:

  • ECOWAS;
  • OAU, AU;
  • Commonwealth;
  • OPEC;
  • UNO;
  • African Petroleum Producers Association;
  • Origin, objectives, structure, functions, achievements, problems and prospects of these organizations.

Learning Objectives:

  • evaluate the operations of these international organizations;
  • assess the role of these organizations in world affairs;
  • appreciate the challenges of these organizations and how they can be overcome.

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