WAEC Government 2019 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2019 WAEC Government paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 49 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Government 2019 questions and answers

1. 1.

   The following are the reasons widely espoused for military intervention and rules in West Africa except ______

   1. A
      Political instability and breakdown of law and order
   2. B
      Promotion and consolidation of democratic governance
      Correct
   3. C
      Economic mismanagement and deteriorating living standards
   4. D
      Widespread corruption and mismanagement of public resources
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   Answer: B

   Military juntas in West Africa typically justified their interventions by citing corruption, political instability, economic mismanagement, and the failure of civilian governments to maintain law and order. These are the reasons widely espoused for coups.

2. 2.

   Conventions and usages are rules based on ________

   1. A
      Decisions of the Supreme Court
   2. B
      Formally enacted written statutes
   3. C
      Long-established custom and practice
      Correct
   4. D
      International treaties and agreements
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   Answer: C

   Conventions and usages are unwritten rules of the constitution that have emerged from long-established custom and practice. They are not enacted by parliament nor found in written constitutional documents, yet they are observed as binding by those in government. An example is the convention that the British monarch must give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, even though refusal would be legally permissible.

3. 3.

   One of the following is a characteristic of a unitary system

   1. A
      Component states are sovereign and can secede from the union
   2. B
      There is a weak central authority that depends on member states
   3. C
      The central government is supreme and can create or abolish sub-national units
      Correct
   4. D
      Powers are constitutionally shared between central and component units
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   Answer: C

   In a unitary system, the central government is supreme. It may delegate powers to sub-national units (regions, counties, local governments), but it can also take those powers back, reorganise, or abolish such units entirely. The UK is a classic example — Parliament at Westminster is constitutionally supreme.

4. 4.

   The power of the electorate signifies _________

   1. A
      Popular sovereignty
      Correct
   2. B
      Rule of law
   3. C
      Separation of powers
   4. D
      Parliamentary supremacy
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   Answer: A

   The electorate's power to choose and remove governments through the ballot box is the practical expression of popular sovereignty — the doctrine that ultimate political authority resides in the people. When citizens vote, they exercise this sovereign power on behalf of the entire nation.

5. 5.

   Which of the following is a function of the party whip?

   1. A
      Ensuring party members attend legislative sessions and vote along party lines
      Correct
   2. B
      Preparing and presenting the national budget to parliament
   3. C
      Appointing ministers to the federal cabinet on behalf of the party
   4. D
      Representing the party in international diplomatic negotiations
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   Answer: A

   The party whip is a party official in the legislature whose primary duty is to ensure party discipline. This includes making sure members attend debates, vote according to the party's position, and maintain solidarity on key issues.

6. 6.

   Labour groups mostly come under the umbrella of the ________

   1. A
      Employers' Association
   2. B
      Chamber of Commerce
   3. C
      Trade Union Congress
      Correct
   4. D
      National Labour Party
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   In most West African countries, individual trade unions and labour associations are federated under the Trade Union Congress (TUC) — or its national equivalent such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The TUC coordinates collective bargaining, organises industrial action, and represents workers' interests at the national level.

7. 7.

   The political parties established in West Africa in the 1950's were aimed at ________

   1. A
      Promoting inter-ethnic harmony exclusively
   2. B
      Establishing socialist economies
   3. C
      Achieving independence from colonial rule
      Correct
   4. D
      Creating military governments
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   Answer: C

   The mass political parties that emerged across British West Africa in the early 1950s — such as Nkrumah's CPP in the Gold Coast, the NCNC and AG in Nigeria, and the SLPP in Sierra Leone — were primarily vehicles for achieving independence from colonial rule. They mobilised the popular vote under the new constitutions to press for self-government and full sovereignty.

8. 8.

   To facilitate movement of people from one member to another the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has _________

   1. A
      Established a joint border police force
   2. B
      Introduced a free movement protocol
      Correct
   3. C
      Issued a single ECOWAS passport to all citizens
   4. D
      Abolished all customs posts at borders
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   ECOWAS adopted the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment in 1979. This protocol grants citizens of member states the right to enter, reside in, and establish businesses across the community without a visa, facilitating people-to-people contact and regional integration.

9. 9.

   The removal of government direct control and monopoly in manufacturing and service sectors is called __________

   1. A
      Nationalization
   2. B
      Commercialization
   3. C
      Deregulation
      Correct
   4. D
      Privatization
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   Answer: C

   Deregulation is the process by which a government removes or reduces its direct controls, regulations, and monopoly powers over an industry or sector, allowing market forces and private enterprise to operate more freely. It differs from privatization, which specifically involves transferring government ownership of assets to private hands.

10. 10.

    The confederal system of government is unpopular because ___________

    1. A
       It concentrates excessive power in the central government
    2. B
       It denies member states the right to make their own laws
    3. C
       It is too expensive for developing nations to operate
    4. D
       The central government is too weak and member states may withdraw at will
       Correct
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: D

    The confederal system is characterised by a very weak central authority. The member states retain sovereignty and the central body can only act on matters the states agree to delegate. This makes the system unstable — member states can withdraw at will, the central government cannot enforce its decisions directly on citizens, and collective action is extremely difficult. This structural weakness makes confederation unpopular and short-lived in practice (e.g., the US Articles of Confederation, 1781–1789).

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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Practise all 49 questions we hold from the 2019 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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