Political governance and influence on its subjects are referred to as power. The ruling power over a particular country influences how the country will function, either positively or negatively. It’s disheartening that most citizens are fond of complaining about those in authority, but fail to understand that it’s within their ability to decide who comes to power or not. This is because the essence of power is lost when there are no subjects to rule or exercise that authority over. 

However, most people don’t know what exactly power is, how it functions, and how they as citizens can influence their country’s political power. In response to this, we have compiled 100 facts about power in general, most especially the Nigerian government power system.

Fascinating Facts About Power

1. Politics is derived from a Greek word that means affairs of the cities.

2. Generally, politics encompasses all the activities involving decisions making in groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.

3. The study of politics and government is known as political sciences.

4. Did you know that the Federal Government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial?

5. In modern times, people often form political parties to represent their ideas— Those within the same party are said to uphold the same ideologies and belief system.

6. The competition between two political parties to decide who comes to power is called an election.

7. The Constitution of Nigeria provides separation and balance of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial.

8. According to Hannah Arendt, the view of Aristotle was that “to be political…meant that everything was decided through words and persuasion and not through violence;”

9.  Politics came into existence due to the growing human population across the globe without any sense of organization.

10. Up to the 12th century, many people lived in non-state societies— These range from relatively egalitarian bands and tribes to complex and highly stratified chiefdoms.

11. Legislative power is held by the federal government of Nigeria and the two chambers of the legislature are the house of representatives and the senate.

12. Conflict theories of state formation regard conflict and dominance of some population over another population as key to the formation of states.

13. The national assembly is the combination of the house of representatives and the senate— Together, the two chambers make up the law-making body in Nigeria.

14. The judicial branch of the Nigerian government is the only one of the three branches of government in which its members are not elected but are appointed.

15.  Political philosophy of the state was formulated by the Ancient Greek Empire.

16. Before the 4th century in Athens, Greece, citizens were granted citizenship rights, alongside the directly democratic form of government that was to have a long afterlife in political thought and history.

17. The law of Nigeria is based on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and British common law.

18. The ruling political system of society will inevitably shape society through public policy and law enforcement.

19. Government based on the structure of power is broadly classified Into monarchies and republic governments.

20. Power can be divided between the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and other independent institutions.

21. Democracy is the government of the direct or the representative rule of the people of its jurisdiction. Its forms include representative democracy, direct democracy, and demarchy.

22.  Did you know that oligarchy is a power structure where a minority rules? The term minority in this context refers to the few wealthy among the society.

23. A form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual is called autocracy.

24. The Nigerian legislature has other sources of law and they are called the criminal and penal codes of Nigeria.

25. The proceeding culture over a society influences its political system— The study of this aspect of politics is called political culture.

Mind-Blowing Facts About Power

26. Nigeria is a member of the African Union and sits on the organization’s Peace and Security Council.

27. Political corruption is the use of powers for illegitimate private gain, conducted by government officials or their network contacts.

28. Kleptocracy is a corrupt and dishonest form of government characterized by greed.

29. Nigerian legislation may be classified as follows. The colonial era until 1960, post-independence legislation 1960-1966, the military era 1966-1999.

30. The peaceful existence between two nations is achieved through diplomacy— A negotiation through alliance, treaties, or agreement.

31. During the Military Regime in Nigeria, 1966-1999, This Nation experienced 8 coups generally, five were successful and 3 were unsuccessful.

32. Nigeria has the largest population of Christians and Muslims cohabitating in the world, introduced during the colonial period— These two religions have a great influence on the country’s political system.

33. The executive branch of Nigeria is divided into Federal Ministries, each headed by a minister appointed by the president— The president must include at least one member from each of the 36 states in his cabinet.

34. A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to attain and maintain political power within the government.

35. Political parties express their ideology or vision through political campaigns, educational outreach, or protest actions.

36. The House of Representatives is presided over by the speaker of the House of Representatives— It has 360 members, who are elected for four-year terms in single-seat constituencies.

37. In 2018, the British Commonwealth Secretariat taught numerous government officials and financial officers how to combat and condemn corruption within the nation.

38. The right standard of democracy is saddled upon voting, whereby the person or policy with the most vote gets implemented.

39. A bill drafted by the legislators can only become national law once they are approved by the president of Nigeria who can choose to disapprove bills.

40. When citizens are allowed to vote directly, not through their representative it’s referred to as a direct democracy system.

41. Did you know that most of Nigeria’s foreign affairs, both during the colonial era and post-independence have relied on oil production?

42. Did you know that the legislative arm of government is those who are vested with the power of law-making?

43. Under a democratic system of government, civic education and political sciences should be taught across educational institutions, this is to enlighten citizens more about their political rights.

44. To maintain a functioning state, all governmental decisions must be taken, considering the masses.

45. The system of government in which power is invested in multiple people is polyarchy.

46. The Supreme Court is chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and has thirteen associate justices, who are appointed by the President based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council

47. The power of the three arms of the Nigerian government is vested by the constitution of Nigeria, the national assembly, the president, and the federal courts.

48. Early dynastic Sumer was located in southern Mesopotamia with its borders extending from the Persian Gulf to parts of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers—Around approximately 3000 BCE.

49. Nigeria is a federal republic, with executive power exercised by the president. The president is the head of state, the head of government, and the head of a multi-party system.

50. Politics offers a person a platform of expression, what they believe, how it can change the system, and convince others into seeing from their perspectives.

Truths About Power You Should Know

51. Nigeria politics takes place within a framework of a federal, presidential, and representative democratic republic.

52. According to moralists, politics is closely linked to ethics and is at its extreme in utopian thinking.

53. Nigeria became a member of the British Commonwealth upon its independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960.

54. The political system of any state encompasses official decisions made by the government of that state.

55. Sharia law is a form of law used in some states in the northern region— Solely based on Islamic laws.

56. The two fundamental sources of Nigerian law through legislation are Acts of the British parliament and Local legislation.

57. A federation is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism).

58. Generally, macropolitics either describes political issues that affect an entire political system or international relations between political systems.

59. Post-Independence Legislation was a milestone in the political history of Nigeria—This period witnessed the consolidation of political gains made during the colonial era.

60. States that can exert strong international influence are referred to as superpowers, whereas less-powerful ones may be called regional or middle powers.

61. One of the functions of the Nigerian president is to see that the Nigerian Constitution is enacted and that the legislation is applied to the people.

62. Politics inside the limits of political systems, which in contemporary context correspond to national borders, are referred to as domestic politics.

63. Did you know that each federal ministry of Nigeria has a permanent secretary, who is a senior civil servant.

64. The office of the presidency is responsible for the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

65. The political system within a country is formed by the association of political parties, which can be multiparty, two-party, or even one party.

66. The Senate has 109 members, is presided over by the president of the Senate— 108 members are elected for four-year terms in 36 three-seat constituencies, which correspond to the country’s 36 states.

67. The theory of aggregative democracy claims that the democratic processes aim to solicit the preferences of citizens, and aggregate them together to determine what social policies the society should adopt.

68. Under the democratic system no president of Nigeria can serve more than the elected two four-year terms.

69. According to minimalism, democracy is a system of government in which citizens have given teams of political leaders the right to rule in periodic elections.

70. The judicial branch of Nigeria consists of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the Court of Appeals, the High Courts, and other trial courts.

71. The field of politics is broad and involved a variety of methods, which includes promoting one’s political views among people, negotiating with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force.

72. Early dynastic Egypt was based around the Nile River in the northeast of Africa, the kingdom’s boundaries being based around the Nile and stretching to areas where oases existed— Around approximately 3000 BCE.

73. Did you know that it’s the responsibility of the judiciary and the Supreme Court to protect the basic rights of the citizens?

74. Considering the friction between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, the government has taken on a hybrid of English Common Law and Islamic Law when dealing with legal issues to appease the diverse national population.

75. A State that’s powerful enough to influence world affairs is called a world power, while the international system of power is called the world order.

Important Facts About Governance

76. Did you know that politics among most family and friends are tagged as a  “do not discuss” topic? It’s believed to be a risky and corrupt path to journey on.

77. Currently, in northern Nigeria, about 12 states now live under Sharia law.

78. The two major parties in Nigeria are the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress— Both parties have held the presidency and seats in the National Assembly for extended periods.

79. Being aware of politics and understanding the role of politics in everyday life is important to developing your character and valuing important issues.

80. Nigeria’s membership in the British Commonwealth began in 1960 till date, although it was suspended from 1995 to 1999 when the country became a state under military rule.

81. Politics helps us to understand our nation’s parties— Democracy system, our rights, ideology, party politics, the Constitution, and Parliament

82. The initial concept of democracy is political participation under the dictatorship of the subject without violence or force.

83. The British Commonwealth Secretariat has helped Nigeria in its natural resource fields such as oil and mining—But, can you testify to the positive effect of this?

84. The military of Nigeria has played a major role in the country’s history, often seizing control of the country— Its last period of rule ended in 1999, following the death of the leader of the previous military Junta Sani Abacha in 1998.

85. The active-duty personnel in the three Nigerian armed services totals approximately 76,000 personnel; The Nigeria Army(60,000), The Nigeria Navy(7,000), and The Nigeria Air Force (9,000).

86. Nigeria currently has better foreign relations with its neighbours, due to its current state of democracy.

87. The deep concern about human rights and environmentalism are referred to as postmaterialism.

88. Eventually, most citizens don’t participate in political affairs because they aren’t literate about their political rights.

89. Since the change of power from a military regime to a democratic state, Nigeria’s relationships with both its continental neighbours in Africa and throughout the world have improved greatly.

90. The study of politics is an eye-opener that enables citizens to know their rights and get to see how their little political participation can change the world.

91. The voluntary theories of state formation depict that diverse groups of people came together to form states as a result of some shared rational interest.

92. Did you know that politics is a living, breathing subject? This is because it’s liable to continuous change.

93. One of the major goals of the British Commonwealth Secretariat is to assist Nigeria to detect and deter corruption within its federal government.

94. Interestingly, in most political systems once a person is up to age eighteen, they are allowed to participate fully in all political activities.

95. A standard government system is expected to boost peace, progress, development, and unity among the citizens and must be reflected in every aspect of the country.

96. Unfortunately, political parties in Nigeria aren’t upholding a positive ideology as expected. In contrast, it serves as a means through which prominent figures can gain power and influence. Hence, they often switch parties to find the one to give them the best chance of achieving authority.

97. It’s within the framework of politics, that power can be won or lost, leveraged, or squandered, either toward illuminated ends or corruptive impulses.

98. Politicians will advance themselves by understanding and navigating relations between people. However, many of them prefer to use force to get their way.

99. Sadly, religious friction between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria has often been used by politicians to incite violence and create fear and chaos among Nigerians.

100. The basic rights and freedom all humans are entitled to are called human rights. This includes the right to life, liberty, freedom of thoughts, and expression among others.