Structure and organization of government

Structure of government
1.unitary system
2.federal system
3.Confederal system
4.Military system
Unitary system: In this structure, government is organized under a single central control.
The central government shares Its powers with the lower unit of government when
necessary and as much as it deems fit. The United Kingdom, China, Italy, are some of the
famous examples of unitary government.
Merits of unitary system
1.It fosters unity
2.It is easy to operate
3.It disallows duplication of offices
4.Easy amendment of constitution
Features of unitary system
a. The unitary system helps to preserve consistency, unity, and identity of the
government, and as such power and authority of the central government has to
remain a priority.
b. Although the central government reserves all powers of decision-making in the
government, power is shared with the subordinate units of government as needed.
c. The unitary system allows for uniform and consistent rules and regulations across the
state.
d. The unitary system is about the least expensive compared to the other systems of
government.
e. Decision making is easier and timelier in unitary systems, which is useful especially in
times of emergency.
f. Generally, freedom of speech and expression remains very low in unitary systems
compared to the others, hence unitary governments are more or less similar to
dictatorships.
Federal system: Power is divided among the centre and subordinate units of
government, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. United States of
America, India, Canada, among others are examples of federal system of government.
Merits of federal system
1.There is reduced fear of domination by the central government.
 2.It allows for inclusion in governance.
3.It promotes free speech and expression.
4.It brings government as close as possible.
Features of federal system
1.Expensive: The process of governance in the federal system is more expensive,
compared to the unitary system. The process of decision making is lengthened, the
various levels of government require resources to discharge their functions efficiently,
there is a higher number of human resources required to effectively operate a federal
system, all these and more tell on the expenses of the state.
2.Division of power: Power in the federal system is divided among the federal, state and
local levels of government with each level having their functions and jurisdictions
prescribed and protected by the constitution.
3.Duplication of functions: Arising from the existence and operation of the subordinate
units or levels of government, government functions also are duplicated in these various
levels. The executives, legislature and judiciary exist at all levels of government, allowing
for duplicated functions.
4.Delay in decision making: Decision making in the federal system takes longer route
compared to the unitary system where the central government reserves the right to
make decisions.
5.Inclusive governance: The existence and significance of the subordinate levels of
government in the federal systems allow for more inclusion within the process of
governance as more individual are involved, representing various interests within the
state.
6.Rigid constitutions: Constitutions in the federal system are mostly rigid and difficult to
alter or amend. Constitutional amendment in a federal system must go through a long
process of deliberation and consultations and must be passed by a two-third majority of
the legislature, before it enters into effect.

Confederal System (Confederation): This structure is made up of a league of sovereign and

independent states, coming together to agree on a common course of action or specific
International matters, as well as give up a part of its sovereignty for the administration and
success of the confederation. The German confederation (1815-1866), the Confederation of
American states (1860-1865) are some major examples of the confederal system.
Features of confederal system
a. The central government is largely weak, since it has to rely on the independent state
for its army, economy, politics and development.
 b. The independent states making up the confederation are significantly more powerful
than the central government of the confederation.
c. The allegiance and patriotism of the citizens within the confederation are directed
more towards the independent states to which these citizens belong as opposed to
the confederal government.
Military System: In this system, government is controlled by the military organization and
the state is administered by decrees, not a constitution. The military have largely benefited
from governance, especially in Africa, over the last few decades, as many African states
(including Nigeria) have experiences very long periods of military rule. In Nigeria, for
instance, in the 61years since independence, the military has been in power for
approximately 28 years. Some of the major causes or reasons for military take-overs include:
misappropriation of state resources by civilian authorities; heightening corrupt practices;
difficulty or inability of civilian government to manage protect lives and properties; electoral
malpractices; abuse of human rights; declining economic development and standards of
living, among others.
Organisation of government
1.Cabinet/parliamentary form: This is a form of government where both executive and
legislative powers lie in the parliament, and there is no clear separation of powers between
the executive and legislature. The Prime Minister serves as the head of government, since he
oversees the day to day running of government and application of rules, while the President,
King or Queen is the head of state and performs all other ceremonial aspects of the
executive functions. Hence, in the parliamentary form, the head of state and head of
government are distinct and perform slightly different functions.
Features of the cabinet/parliamentary form
a. The parliament is sovereign and supersedes any other unit of government.
b. Power is wielded by the head of parliament (Prime Minister) who doubles as the
Head of Government.
c. There is no separation of power between executive and legislature as members of
parliament are nominated by the Prime Minister,
d. The prime minister and his cabinet can be removed by a vote of no confidence in the
parliament.
e. Unlike the presidential form, it is highly unlikely that the parliamentary form
encourages dictatorial tendencies. Since the executive is headed by a group and not
an Individual
2.Presidential Form: The presidential form of government is one in which one individual –
the President exercises executive functions within the government. The president combines
the roles of the head of state and head of government, as described above, and as such
performs government and ceremonial functions within the state. The president, who is also
commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has the power to mobilize the military within the
state, as well as appoint members of his own cabinet who are not members of parliament.
The United States of America and Nigeria are some examples of governments organized in
the presidential form.
Features of the presidential form
a. The President does not possess supreme authority, as the powers of the president
are checked by both the legislature and the judicial arms of government.
b. Executive and legislative powers and functions are clearly separated by the
constitution.
c. The President or Chief Executive has veto power and is allowed by law to make use of
it when the need arises.
d. Unlike the Prime Minister who is appointed or elected by the members of the
parliament (subject to the executive in a few cases), the President is elected by the
electorate and is therefore responsible to the people.
e. Political power is shared among three key organs of government: executive,
legislative and judiciary.
f. The president is not indispensable, as he/she can be removed by an impeachment
process initiated and carried out by the legislature if the president begins to display
dictatorial tendencies or other activities detrimental to the state.

Branches/Arms of Government
1.The legislature
2.The executive
3.The judiciary
Executive arm
It is responsible for executing or implementing the laws in the state. The President is the
leader of the executive branch of government as he serves both ceremonial and official
governance functions. Whereas, in a parliamentary government, these roles are performed
by separate individuals or groups. The executive branch exists in al three levels of
government (federal, state and local levels).
The powers and functions of the executive branch of government are complex and
enormous. The veto power of the executive allows it to perform functions that Include
legislative and judicial functions. Some of the functions of the executive arm of government
include, but are not limited to
I. Issuing orders and statutory guidelines when the need arises, especially during
emergencies. (legislative)
ii. Initializing/recommending as well as assent to bills from the legislature. (leglegislative)
iii. Conducting foreign affairs.
iv. Control of the military organization.
v. Appointment and removal of public office holders.
vi. Pardon of offenses against the state, before trial or after conviction. (judiciary)
vii. Negotiate and assent to international treaties and conventions (Judiciary)

b. Legislative Arm
The legislature is charged with the duty of making laws within the state. The powers of the
legislative arm of government are at times vested in the National Assembly or congress (in
the Presidential system of government) or Parliament. Their functions are to basically ensure
stability, policy execution and implementation and ensure good governance. Two types of
legislatures are the unicameral legislature (made up of only one national assembly chamber
of elected members, like in Turkey, Denmark, Spain, among others), and the bi-cameral
legislature (made up of two upper and lower chambers, like in USA, Canada, Nigeria, India).
Other functions of the legislature include;
I. Involvement in confirmation of public office holders.
ii.Approves budgets and expenditure of other public/state funds.
iii.Making and amendment of the constitution of the state.
iv. Impeaching incompetent government officials in the executive branch.
V. Aggregating (identifying) and articulating (discussing) public interests.
vi. Investigating/supervising government ministries, departments, and agencies via oversight
legislative committees.
Vil. Representing the interests of the various groups within the society who have elected
them to the legislative office
Judiciary arm
The judiciary is primarily responsible for Interpreting and adjudicating the law, as well as
applying it to specific cases. It is a unique branch of the government and is the most
independent of all the three branches. The major elements of the judiciary are the Judges,
the law courts, and the law itself. In most cases, the Supreme Court is the highest court of
the land and decides on more important issues ranging from constitutional issues to the
decisions of other courts underneath it, such as the appeal industrial, and high Courts. The
efficiency of the judiciary is premised on important values such as fairness, justice, integrity,
and transparency. Judges should be honest, impartial, independent and possess sound legal
knowledge (Anifowose, 2015).

Judicial functions include; dispute settlement (State Vs Individual, and Individual Vs

Individual); Issuing restraining orders to prevent the violation of law, engage in judicial
reviews to determine where legislative laws are in conflict with the constitution and what
should prevail; protecting the rights and properties of individuals, which is about the most
important function of the judiciary.

Other forms of government

a. Monarchy: A monarchy is a form of government where a single individual reserves
total sovereignty over a particular society. Such is usually retained until the monarch
is dead or the power is transferred to someone else who is next in line. A monarch
acquired their political power via hereditary succession that is guaranteed by
tradition or religion norms. Some of the states that practice the monarchical form of
government include: Morocco, Lesotho, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The
Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, among others.
b. Oligarchy: This is a form of government where few individuals exercise political
power over the rest of the other individuals and groups within society. Oligarchy
comes from the Greek word oligarkhes, which means “few governing”. Longley
(2019) observed that an oligarchy is any political society that is controlled by a small
number of people called oligarchs, who may be characterized by their unique wealth.
c. Totalitarianism: Totalitarianism is a form of government that is intolerant of opposing
political views and ideologies and seeks to control all aspects of the public and
private lives of the people. Longley (2020) argued that totalitarian governments
possess dictatorial and centralized rule which are dedicated to controlling all aspects
of the people’s lives, by coercion, intimidation, and repression, to the benefit of the
state.
d. Aristocracy: In this form of government, political power resides in the hands of a few
privileged individuals who are referred to as aristocrats. The concept of aristocracy
comes from the Greek word aristokratia, meaning “rule by the best.
e. Autocracy: This is a form of government where a single individual, who can also be
referred to as an ‘autocrat’, possesses absolute and unlimited political, economic,
social, and military powers within the state, without any limitation in the law or from
the legal institutions.