WAEC Government 2022 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2022 WAEC Government paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 50 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Government 2022 questions and answers

1. 1.

   A country's foreign policy is foremost driven by

   1. A
      National interest
      Correct
   2. B
      The preferences of foreign governments
   3. C
      The instructions of international organisations
   4. D
      Public opinion in other countries
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   Answer: A

   National interest is the primary driving force of a country's foreign policy. Every state pursues foreign policies that protect and advance its own political, economic, and security interests. All other considerations are secondary to this fundamental objective.

2. 2.

   A pressure group which resorts to violence as a means of pressing home its demands is described as

   1. A
      A non-governmental organisation
   2. B
      A lobby group
   3. C
      A militant group
      Correct
   4. D
      A trade union
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   Answer: C

   When a pressure group abandons lawful persuasion and turns to coercion or physical force to achieve its objectives, it is classified as a militant group. Lobby groups and NGOs operate within legal channels, and trade unions, while occasionally confrontational, are primarily labour-oriented bodies distinct from militant pressure groups.

3. 3.

   A country'sconstitutionmay bederived from which oneof the following sources?

   1. A
      Judicial decisions and constitutional precedents
      Correct
   2. B
      Rulings of foreign embassies
   3. C
      Directives of multinational corporations
   4. D
      Profit motives of private investors
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   Answer: A

   Constitutions draw from several recognised sources, among them judicial decisions and constitutional precedents (common law tradition), as well as statutes, conventions, opinions of legal scholars, and historical documents. Multinational corporations, foreign embassies, and private investors have no authority to generate constitutional law.

4. 4.

   When a superior court declares an action ofthe executive ultra-vires, itmeans that

   1. A
      The action exceeded the legal powers granted to the executive
      Correct
   2. B
      The action is fully within the powers of the executive
   3. C
      The legislature must ratify the executive's action
   4. D
      The action was taken with the consent of the judiciary
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   Answer: A

   Ultra vires is a Latin term meaning beyond the powers. When a court declares an executive action ultra vires, it means the executive has acted beyond the authority granted by the constitution or enabling legislation, and the action is therefore null and void.

5. 5.

   The media helps to enrich discourse on national issues through its

   1. A
      Investigative reporting and editorial commentary
      Correct
   2. B
      Entertainment and celebrity coverage
   3. C
      Advertising and commercial sponsorship
   4. D
      Distribution of government press releases
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   Answer: A

   Investigative reporting and editorial commentary allow the media to probe, analyse, and contextualise national issues, thereby raising the quality of public debate. The other options — advertising, entertainment, and relaying government statements — do not themselves enrich substantive political discourse.

6. 6.

   Information dissemination and communication in a political environment had been made faster and easier with the advent of

   1. A
      Traditional town criers
   2. B
      Political party manifestos
   3. C
      Information and communication technology
      Correct
   4. D
      Civil society seminars
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   Answer: C

   The rise of information and communication technology (ICT) — encompassing the internet, mobile telephony, social media, and digital broadcasting — has dramatically compressed the time and cost of spreading political information, making mass communication almost instantaneous compared to earlier methods.

7. 7.

   In a representative government, citizens exercisetheir political power

   1. A
      Directly through daily referenda
   2. B
      Through military councils
   3. C
      Through elected representatives
      Correct
   4. D
      Through foreign diplomatic missions
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   Answer: C

   Representative government is premised on the idea that citizens delegate their sovereign power to elected representatives who make decisions on their behalf. Direct daily referenda characterise pure direct democracy (not representative government), while military councils and foreign missions have no role in channelling citizens' political power.

8. 8.

   A coalition government is a common feature of a

   1. A
      Presidential democracy
   2. B
      Single-party state
   3. C
      Military government
   4. D
      Multi-party system
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   A coalition government forms when no single party wins enough seats to govern alone, compelling two or more parties to combine their legislative strength. This situation is most common in a multi-party system, where votes are split among several parties, making outright majority wins rare.

9. 9.

   The Economic Community of West African States was established with the following aims except to

   1. A
      Encourage free movement of persons and goods
   2. B
      Establish a common market in the sub-region
   3. C
      Promote economic integration among member states
   4. D
      Create a single military command for external wars
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   ECOWAS was established in 1975 to promote economic integration, encourage free movement of persons and goods, and establish a common market. Creating a single military command for waging external wars was never among its founding objectives; its security mandate under ECOMOG is for peacekeeping, not aggressive warfare.

10. 10.

    LocalGovernment authorities may not receive cooperation from the local people due to the issue of

    1. A
       Lack of community participation in local governance
       Correct
    2. B
       Over-representation in the legislature
    3. C
       Excessive taxation by the federal government
    4. D
       Dependence on foreign aid
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    Answer: A

    When local governments bypass or ignore community voices in planning and decision-making, residents feel alienated and withhold cooperation. Lack of community participation creates a disconnect between council programmes and the actual needs and priorities of the people, breeding apathy and non-cooperation.

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

Spotted a wrong answer? Tell us from the app or on the contact page and we check it.

Practise all 50 questions we hold from the 2022 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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