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Question

Difficulty: MediumThe Macpherson Constitution of 1951

Under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, a central executive body known as the Council of Ministers was established. Which of the following major structural defects characterized the status of the Nigerian ministers appointed to this council?

  1. A
    They exercised full executive departmental control and could override policy decisions made by the Governor.
  2. B
    They were elected directly into the executive council by voters through nationwide universal adult suffrage.
  3. They lacked individual departmental responsibility and functioned primarily as spokesmen for colonial executive policies in the legislature.Answer
  4. D
    They held supreme judicial authority to review and invalidate laws passed by regional legislative assemblies.

Answer

Under the 1951 Macpherson Constitution, Nigerian ministers lacked individual departmental responsibility (portfolios) and acted primarily as spokesmen for government policies in the legislature.
Under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, although twelve Nigerian ministers were appointed to the central Council of Ministers, a major weakness of this arrangement was that the ministers were not given charge of administrative departments (they were ministers 'without portfolio'). Their primary role was to initiate and explain executive policies in the House of Representatives, leaving civil service department heads under colonial official control.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the executive framework established by the Macpherson Constitution of 1951.
The constitution created a central Council of Ministers comprising the Governor, official members, and 12 Nigerian ministers (4 from each region).
Establishing the composition helps identify the constitutional role of appointed indigenous ministers.
2
Examine the scope of authority and responsibilities assigned to these ministers.
Ministers were not given executive charge or administrative control over government departments/ministries.
Identifying the absence of ministerial portfolios highlights the key structural flaw of the constitution.
3
Evaluate the primary function assigned to the ministers.
Their role was limited to introducing and defending executive bills and policies in the House of Representatives.
This confirms that ministers were spokesmen for colonial executive policy rather than policy directors.

Key Concept

Defects of the 1951 Macpherson Constitution executive structure
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Topics

The Macpherson Constitution of 1951