NECO Government past questions and answers

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

NECO Government: 194 objective past questions from 4 papers between 2002 and 2009, each with the answer and an explanation. Newer NECO papers are not in our bank yet. Here are ten.

1. 1.Which of the following Countries is a permanent member Of the Security Council of United Nations?
   1. A
      Germany
   2. B
      Japan
   3. C
      Nigeria
   4. D
      United States of America
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   The United Nations Security Council has five permanent members, often called the "P5": the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. These five countries were given permanent seats at the founding of the UN in 1945, largely because they were the major Allied powers of World War II, and each one holds a veto power over Security Council decisions.

2. 2.Centralization of power is another form of
   1. A
      Unitary system of government
      Correct
   2. B
      Federal system of government
   3. C
      Parliamentary system of government
   4. D
      Confederal system of government
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   Answer: A

   Centralization of power is another name for the unitary system of government. In Government, systems are classified by how powers are distributed between the central authority and other levels of government. Under a unitary system, all governmental powers are concentrated (centralized) in one central authority, which may create and control local or regional administrative units, but those units have no independent constitutional powers of their own. Nigeria under military rule, and countries like Britain and France, are classic examples of this centralization.

3. 3.The council of state under the military government in Nigeria was made up of the following members EXCEPT
   1. A
      The President of the Senate
      Correct
   2. B
      The Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters
   3. C
      The Inspector-General of Police
   4. D
      The military governors of the states
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   Answer: A

   A military government rules by decree, with no elected National Assembly in place — the Senate and House of Representatives are suspended for as long as the military is in power. Because of this, the Council of State under a military government in Nigeria was built from military and security officers, not elected lawmakers.

4. 4.A political system in which a few rule is known as
   1. A
      Aristocracy
   2. B
      Autocracy
   3. C
      Oligarchy
      Correct
   4. D
      Theocracy
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   Answer: C

   Oligarchy is correct. An oligarchy is a system of government in which political power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of people — such as a wealthy elite, military officers, or a ruling clique — who govern mainly to protect their own interests.

   The question specifically describes rule by "a few", which is the defining feature of oligarchy.

5. 5.Profit motive as a guiding principle is an important characteristic of
   1. A
      Communism
   2. B
      Mixed economy
   3. C
      Capitalism
      Correct
   4. D
      Socialism
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   Answer: C

   Capitalism is the economic system in which the profit motive is the guiding principle. Under capitalism, the means of production (land, labour, capital) are privately owned, and individuals and businesses operate mainly to maximise profit; prices and production decisions are driven by the forces of demand and supply in a free market, not by government planning.

6. 6.The last stage of Socialism is
   1. A
      Dictatorship of the proletariat
   2. B
      Feudalism
   3. C
      Communism
      Correct
   4. D
      Capitalism
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   Answer: C

   Communism is correct. In the Marxist–Leninist theory of political and economic development that the Government syllabus teaches, society is said to pass through historical stages: primitive communalism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, and finally communism.

7. 7.One significant change introduced by the 1954 Lyttleton constitution was the
   1. A
      the abolition of the regional houses of assembly set up under the Macpherson constitution
   2. B
      the replacement of elected regional ministers with members nominated by the Governor-General
   3. C
      the introduction of regionalism, creating Nigeria's three regions for the first time
   4. D
      the establishment of a true federal system of government, with each region given its own legislature, executive and judiciary
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   The Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 (named after Oliver Lyttleton, the Secretary of State for the Colonies) is remembered in Nigerian government history as the constitution that turned Nigeria into a true federation. Under it, Nigeria was formally divided into three regions — Northern, Western and Eastern — and each region was given its own legislature, its own executive council (with a Premier), its own civil service and its own judiciary, while the centre kept only the matters on the exclusive and concurrent lists. This is the key change the constitution is known for.

8. 8.An election in which citizens vote for or against a specific political issue is called a/an
   1. A
      Recall
   2. B
      Initiative
   3. C
      Plebiscite
   4. D
      Referendum
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Referendum is correct. A referendum is a device of direct democracy in which the electorate votes directly for or against a specific political issue, such as a proposed law, policy or amendment to the constitution, rather than voting for a candidate or party.

9. 9.Public opinion is measured by the use of the following instruments EXCEPT
   1. A
      Propaganda
      Correct
   2. B
      Opinion poll
   3. C
      Referendum
   4. D
      Attitude scale
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   Answer: A

   Public opinion is found out and measured using tools that collect or sample what people genuinely think about an issue. Opinion poll (a survey of a sample of the population), referendum (a direct vote of the whole electorate on a specific issue) and attitude scale (a structured questionnaire instrument used in survey research to gauge feeling or disposition toward an issue) are all recognised, legitimate instruments for this purpose.

   Propaganda, however, is not a measuring instrument at all — it is a tool used to influence, persuade or manipulate what people think, often through one-sided or emotionally loaded information. It generates or shapes opinion rather than finding out what opinion already exists, so it cannot be used to measure public opinion. That is why propaganda is the correct answer to this "EXCEPT" question.

10. 10.A constitution that concentrates power in one unit of government is said to be
    1. A
       Federal
    2. B
       Rigid
    3. C
       Unitary
       Correct
    4. D
       Confederal
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    Answer: C

    A unitary constitution is one that concentrates all governmental power in a single, central authority. The central government is supreme; any local or regional authorities that exist only exercise powers delegated to them and can have those powers altered or withdrawn by the centre. Nigeria's First Republic constitution and the constitutions of countries like Britain and France are classic examples of unitary systems.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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