System Of Government (Pols 208)

Introduction

Governments differ in how power is structured and distributed — between the executive and the state, and between central and lower levels of authority. This note reviews four broad classifications: parliamentary, presidential, confederal, and unitary systems, along with how Nigeria's federal structure divides responsibilities.

Images depicting politics 

Parliamentary and Unitary Systems (Federal and Confederal)

System of government — sometimes called Parliamentary Democracy or Cabinet System of Government.

This is a system whereby the head of state is different from the head of government. The head of state is the President or a ceremonial head (in some cases a monarch, e.g. Belgium or the Netherlands). The head of government is the Prime Minister, who acts as Primus Inter Pares — first among equals.

The head of government and ministers form the government of the day, bound by collective responsibility, and usually come from the majority party. The president (where one exists) is often drawn from a party in coalition with, or aligned to, the majority party.

There are two types of parliamentary democracy:

Bi-cephalous and Collegiate Executive.

Examples of bi-cephalous systems (dual executive, with a ceremonial head of state separate from the head of government) include Germany, India, and Bhutan.

Collegiate Executive — headship is shared among a group of selected members, e.g. Switzerland's Federal Council.

Presidential System of Government

This is a form of government whereby the president is both head of government and head of state.

The president is empowered to declare war and serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. There is no separation between the offices of head of state and head of government — one person holds both roles.

Unlike the cabinet system, the presidential system is not built on collective responsibility.

Examples of the presidential system include the USA, and Nigeria (from 1979).

Nigeria

Nigeria experienced alternating periods of military and civilian rule. Military governments were headed by a Head of State, and constitutional government treats military rule as an aberration from the norm of civilian, constitutional governance.

Any country practising the presidential system with a bicameral legislature has two houses. In Nigeria, the National Assembly comprises the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). Members of the Senate are, ideally, expected to be persons of integrity, socially, politically and economically accessible, well-educated, and responsible.

Levels of government in Nigeria's presidential system:

1. Federal
2. State
3. Local

At the federal level, the National Assembly makes laws. At the state level, the State House of Assembly is responsible for making state laws. At the local level, the local government is headed by a chairman, and the legislative arm (the council) is responsible for making local by-laws.

Confederal System of Government

A confederal state is established on the basis of a union in which the centre is looser and the constituent regions hold more power than the central authority.

Unitary System of Government

A unitary system is typically found in a state with a fairly homogeneous population — similar ethnic composition, tradition, and culture — and is often a smaller state.

Federal System of Government

Fundamentally, a federal system is shaped by the structure and levels at which government power is organized. Powers are shared between the centre and the constituent units, typically divided into an exclusive list, a concurrent list, and a residual list. Most federal states practise either the presidential or the cabinet (parliamentary) system, e.g. Nigeria, the USA, and Germany.

• Exclusive list: matters over which only the federal government legislates — security, currency (minting/printing), international relations and foreign policy, and elections.
• Concurrent list: matters on which both federal and state governments may legislate — education, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
• Residual list: matters left to the states, including provision of certain social services, local government administration, and local government elections.

Conclusion

Taken together, these classifications show that the core variable across systems of government is how executive power is structured (fused vs. separated) and how governmental authority is distributed across levels (unitary, federal, or confederal). Nigeria's own trajectory — from colonial administration, through military rule, to its present federal presidential system — illustrates how a state can move between these models over time.