WAEC Government 2013 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 15 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2013 WAEC Government paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 48 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Government 2013 questions and answers

1.The primary objective of the United Nations Organization (UNO) is to
1. A
  maintain international peace and security
  Correct
2. B
  establish a single world government
3. C
  eradicate poverty and disease in developing countries
4. D
  promote free trade and economic development among member states
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Answer: A
As stated in Article 1 of the UN Charter (1945), the primary objective of the United Nations Organization is to maintain international peace and security. It pursues this goal through preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacekeeping operations, and the collective security mechanism of the Security Council. Other goals — such as development and human rights — are secondary to this overriding purpose.
2.Which of the following is an obligation of a citizen?
1. A
  Joining a registered political party
2. B
  Contesting for elective public office
3. C
  Paying taxes as required by law
  Correct
4. D
  Voting in every general election
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Answer: C
An obligation is a legally binding duty that a citizen must perform. Paying taxes is a legal obligation imposed on citizens by law; failure to comply attracts legal penalties. While voting and joining political parties are important civic activities, they are generally regarded as rights or responsibilities rather than legally enforceable obligations.
3.Public corporations are Set Up by
1. A
  an act of parliament (the legislature)
  Correct
2. B
  executive orders issued by the head of state alone
3. C
  bilateral agreements with foreign governments
4. D
  consortia of private investors and the government
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Answer: A
Public corporations derive their legal existence from an act of parliament. The enabling legislation defines the corporation's objectives, powers, governance structure, funding arrangements, and accountability mechanisms. This ensures democratic oversight of public enterprises by the elected legislature.
4.All the following are problems facing local governments in the West Africa except
1. A
  widespread corruption among local government officials
2. B
  the presence of traditional rulers in the communities
  Correct
3. C
  inadequate financial resources and over-dependence on central transfers
4. D
  undue political interference from state and central governments
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Answer: B
The presence of traditional rulers is not a problem for local government in West Africa. Traditional rulers often complement local government by mobilising community support and helping to maintain social order. The genuine problems include inadequate funding, excessive political interference from higher tiers of government, and corruption, all of which undermine effective local governance.
5.Which of the following is not a source of a country's constitution?
1. A
  Decisions of foreign governments on their domestic policies
  Correct
2. B
  Judicial precedents and court decisions
3. C
  Acts of parliament and legislative enactments
4. D
  Constitutional conventions and customs
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Answer: A
The recognised sources of a country's constitution include legislative enactments (Acts of parliament that have constitutional status), judicial precedents (court rulings that interpret and develop constitutional principles), constitutional conventions (unwritten rules and customs observed in practice), and historical documents.
6.Parliamentary filibuster refers to a
1. A
  motion passed to adjourn parliamentary sitting indefinitely
2. B
  formal vote used to block a bill at the committee stage
3. C
  procedure for fast-tracking urgent legislation in parliament
4. D
  deliberate delay of legislation through excessively prolonged speeches
  Correct
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Answer: D
A filibuster is a parliamentary tactic in which a legislator deliberately prolongs debate through lengthy, drawn-out speeches in order to delay or prevent a vote on a bill. It is used by minority members to obstruct legislation they oppose, exploiting parliamentary rules that permit extended debate.
7.One of the criticisms against delegated legislation is that it
1. A
  makes it impossible for governments to respond quickly to emergencies
2. B
  increases the workload of parliament beyond manageable levels
3. C
  prevents technical experts from contributing to the lawmaking process
4. D
  undermines the supremacy of the legislature by transferring lawmaking power to the executive
  Correct
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Answer: D
A major criticism of delegated legislation is that it erodes parliamentary supremacy. When parliament delegates its lawmaking authority to ministers, government departments, or local authorities, the legislature surrenders its core constitutional function of making laws to bodies that are not directly elected and may not be subject to the same level of scrutiny.
8.Fundamental Human Rights seek to
1. A
  ensure the equal redistribution of wealth among all citizens
2. B
  protect individuals from arbitrary or unlawful actions by the state and other persons
  Correct
3. C
  grant governments unrestricted powers to maintain public order
4. D
  compel citizens to perform military service for national defence
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Answer: B
Fundamental Human Rights are basic entitlements that every person possesses by virtue of being human. Their primary purpose is to protect individuals from the arbitrary exercise of power by the state — guarding against unlawful detention, torture, denial of fair trial, suppression of speech, and other abuses.
9.When a court of law declares an action of the executive ultra-vires , it implies that
1. A
  the court lacks jurisdiction to review executive actions
2. B
  the executive has acted beyond its constitutional powers
  Correct
3. C
  the executive has been granted additional powers by the legislature
4. D
  the executive has acted within its constitutional powers
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Answer: B
Ultra-vires is a Latin phrase meaning beyond the powers. When a court declares an executive act ultra-vires, it means the executive has exceeded the authority granted to it by the constitution or enabling statute. Such an act is void and of no legal effect, and this is a key mechanism by which the judiciary checks executive overreach.
10.As a political ideology, communism seeks to
1. A
  promote free-market capitalism and the protection of private property
2. B
  maintain a constitutional monarchy supported by democratic institutions
3. C
  establish a classless society in which the means of production are collectively owned
  Correct
4. D
  create a theocratic state governed by religious law
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Answer: C
Communism, as theorised by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, aims to create a classless, stateless society in which the means of production — factories, land, resources — are owned collectively by the community rather than by private individuals.

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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WAEC Government 2013 past questions

WAEC Government 2013 questions and answers

Practise all 48 questions we hold from the 2013 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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