NATIONAL PARTY OF NIGERIA (NPN)
SS 3
GOVERNMENT
FIRST TERM
LESSON NOTE SCHEME OF WORK
WEEKLY LESSON NOTE
WEEK3 DATE ………………………..
TOPIC: NATIONAL PARTY OF NIGERIA (NPN)
SUBTOPIC 1: FORMATION OF NPN
The NPN was officially launched in September 1978 in Lagos after the lifting of ban on party politics. It came into existence as a merger of different social clubs, tribal unions, associations, solidarity fronts, committees of friends, etc.
Leadership of NPN: The major bulk of the leaders of the NPN came from members of the defunct Northern People’s Congress (NPC) and few others from other parts of the country. The leaders included Alhaji Aliyu Makama Bida, Ali Chiroma, Inua Wada, Adisa Akinloye, M.K.O Abiola, Richard Akinjide, K.O Mbadiwe, Olusola Saraki, C.C. Onoh, Clement Isong, Joseph Tarka, etc.
Organisation Structure and Sources of Finance
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE NPN
There are four levels of organisation:
Level One: was made up of the town, clan, district and ward.
The local government area was classified under level two.
The third was the state, while the national constituted the fourth level. Each of these levels had a secretarial. The national connection was the supreme authority of the party. It meetings were held once in a year, but a special convention could be held at any time, at the request of the national executive committee, or two-thirds of all the state executive committees. There was also a national working committee, which was responsible for the day-to-day administration of the party.
This body was made up of the national chairman, the president, and vice-president of the country (following the success of the party at the 1979 federal elections), two deputy national chairman, nineteen national vice-chairman, the national secretary and deputy secretary, the national treasurer, the national legal adviser, house of representatives and three other persons elected by the national executive committee.
SOURCES OF FINANCE FOR THE NPN
The major sources of funding the party were:
1. Donations
2. Allocation from Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO).
3. Membership subscriptions
4. Sale of party constitution booklet and other items.
OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF NPN
The aims and Objectives of the NPN
i. To work towards making Nigeria a nation where the affairs of the government would be conducted in accordance with the provision of the constitution.
ii. Provision of shelter for the people of Nigeria
iii. Provision of fundamental and qualitative education at the primary, secondary, vocational, technical and university levels in accordance with the Nigeria constitution.
iv. Dedication to the realisation of a great improvement in the prosperity and welfare of the rural dwellers.
v. Continuous provision of adequate health facilities through various training programmes as well as increased supply of drugs to all hospitals and provision of more health facilities in various parts of the country.
vi. Provision of food for the people through the policy of ‘Green Revolution’
vii. A comprehensive programme of rapid industrialisation.
ACHIEVEMENT OF PERFORMANCE OF NPN
1. The party won the presidential elections in 1979 and 1983.
2. The party won more seats than any other political party into the house of representative.
3. Establishment of steel rolling mills e.g Katsina, Osogbo, Itakpe.
4. The party won the majority seats into the senate.
5. The party built a number of housing estates in each state of the federation
6. The party established more Federal secondary schools throughout Nigeria.
7. The party controlled seven states out of 19 states of the federation
8. The party won at least a seat in all the states of Assemblies except Ogun state.
EVALUATION
1. Write the formation of NPN
2. Mention five members of NPN
3. Explain the organization structure of NPN
4. Mention five aims and objectives of NPN
5. Mention five NPN sources of finance
SUBTOPIC2: UNITY PARTY OF NIGERIA (UPN)
FORMATION OF UPN OR ORIGIN
The unity of Nigeria emerged on 22 September 1978, a day after the 21 September 1978 lifting of the ban on political activities. Foundation members of the defunct Action Group (AG). Obafemi Awolowo was the founder and leader of the UPN. Other key members included Adekunle Ajasin, Lateef Jakande, M.C.K Ajuluchukwu, Professor F.A Alli, Bola Ige, Philip Umeadi, J.S Olawoyin and S.M Afolabi, Clement Gomwalk from Benue state was the national secretary, while the national treasurer was Cluasurma from Benue State.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF UPN
The party had the following organs
1. The national congress, which met once a year at such place and time as prescribed by the national president
2. The national executive committee, which met as often and in such places as prescribed by the national president, who also presided over such meetings.
3. State conferences held in each of the 19 states, at least once every year, at such place and time as prescribed by the chairman of the state conference.
4. State executive council
5. State constituency meeting
6. Local or ward meeting.
The UPN, unlike all other political parties of significance, gave its national president unusual powers which made him the most important man in the party.
SOURCES OF FINANCE
The sources of finance in UPN were:
1. Donations.
2. Allocations from Federal Electoral Commission
3. Membership subscription
4. Sale of party constitution booklets and other items.
The most important were donations and contributions from the Federal electoral commission.
OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OF UPN
The aims and objectives of UPN were embodied in its four cardinal point programme which are:
1. Free education at all levels for all citizens of Nigeria, and free and compulsory education at primary and secondary levels for children between the ages of six and seventeen.
2. Integrated rural development to encourage agriculture, boost the production of food, and prevent continuous migration from the rural areas to urban areas.
3. Full and gainful employment for all able-bodied Nigerian citizens.
4. Free health services for all citizens of Nigerian.
PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENT OF UPN
1. The party won Governorship election in five states in 1979 namely, Lagos, Ondo, Bendel, Oyo and Ogun state.
2. The party won seats into the senate and House of Representatives at the centre in 1979 and 1983.
3. The party provided free education in the states in controlled.
4. It implemented free medical facilities in all the states controlled by the party.
5. The party acted as a strong opposition to the ruling party, NPN in 1979 and in 1983/
6. The party promoted fiscal discipline in all the states it controlled.
7. The party increased political consciousness through its programmes and campaigns.
8. It was the first party to announce its existence after lifting of ban on political activities in 1978.
EVALUATION
1. Explain the formation of UPN
2. State four objectives of UPN
3. Mention four achievement of UPN
4. Explain the sources of finance in UPN and its implications
5. Discuss the importance of UPN as a party that promoted democratic governance in Nigeria.
ORIGIN OR FORMATION OF NPP
It was Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri who led the group of Nigerians that formed the Nigerian’s People’s Party (NPP) included: Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya who later became the Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Akinfosile, Chief Matthew T.Mbu, Dr. Obi Wali, Chief San Mbakwe, Chief Dominic Nwobodo, Chief Solomon Lar, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, etc. Chief Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe joined the party after its formation and later became its leader and feature of NPP was that majority of its members were members of the first republic NCNC.
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF NPP
The NPP organised its members at the following levels. The ward/town, district level and the local government area; each had an executive committee. There were also state organisations with each state having a consultative committee, the executive committee, working committee, the parliamentary council of the state conventions.
At the national level was the national parliamentary council which was a caucus of the party’s federal legislators to coordinate the workings of the members of the party in the National Assembly. There were also a National Executive Committee (NEC) comprising national officers, all sate chairman, post national chairmen and members holding key positions in the federal legislature.
` Much of the support for the NPP was from the old Anambra and Imo states in the East and Plateau and Benue states in the North. It had on alliance with the NPN in the national assembly to facilitate the sources of the NPN controlled federal government bills in the houses.
SOURCE OF FINANCE
The NPP received funds through party registration and membership fees, levies, subscriptions of members and branches, proceeds from entertainments, donations, sales of
publicity items, and allocations from FEDECO.
OBJECTIVES OR AIMS OF NPP
i. To promote the unity of Nigeria and sustain her political and territorial sovereignty.
ii. To work for full employment of Nigeria’s manpower and natural resources with a view to building self reliant economy.
iii. To promote at all levels, equality of the people in Nigeria without discrimination, including the description of national resources.
iv. To work towards a truly secular state this upholds democratic principles and fundamental human rights.
v. To work towards feeding and sheltering citizens of Nigeria.
vi. To work for the integration and equality of the people of Nigeria without regards to se, ethnic and religious affiliation
PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE NPP
i. The party won gubernatorial elections and controlled three states of Imo, Anambra and Plateau.
ii. NPP contributed a lot to the successful experimentation of the president system of government.
iii. NPP contributed in producing potential prominent politicians in Nigeria.
iv. By signing a coalition accord with the NPN, NPP saved the collapse of the presidential system of government at its early inception
v. The party also played an opposition role successfully.
EVALUATION
1. Explain the organizational structure of NPP
2. Mention five achievement of the NPP.
3. Discuss the sources of finance for NPP and its performance.
4. Analyze the role played by NPP in promoting democracy and national integration in Nigeria.
5. Evaluate the impact of NPP on Nigerian politics and society at large.
GENERAL EVALUATION
1. Explain the sources of finance of GNPP as a political party in second republic.
2. What were the achievements of UPN?
3. List the states controlled by UPN in 1979 general election.
4. Mention any four political leaders of the second republic and their parties.
5. What were the achievements of NPN?
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
1. NPN took its root from the defunct (a) Action Group (b) NPC (c) Action Congress (d)
NYM
2. The presidential candidate of UPN in the 1979 election was (a) Obafemi Awolowo (b) Dr Nnamdi Azikwe (c) Olatunji Braithwait (d) Alhaji Sheu Shagari
3. The electoral body that conducted the 1979 election was (a) NEC (b) FEDECO (c) INEC
(d) NECO
4. The political party that won the presidential election of 1983 general election was (a) GNPP (b) UPN (c) AG (d) NPN
5. NPP as a political party in Nigeria in the second republic means (a) National Political
Party (b) Northern People’s Party (c) Nigerian Peoples Party (d) National Peoples Party
6. One major source of income common to almost all the political parties of second republic of Nigeria was through (a)taxation (b) gifts from the electorates (c) loans (d) offerings from devoted religious members of the party
7. The main objective of NPP was to (a) strengthen the federal government’s hold on power (b) promote democracy and human rights in Nigeria (c) fight corruption (d) protect the interests of Northern Nigeria against perceived threats from the South
8. NPN received funding from all of the following sources EXCEPT (a) sales of party merchandise and materials (b) membership fees and levies (c) state allocations from FEDECO (d) donations from wealthy supporters
9. In assessing the performance of NPP, one important achievement that stands out is its significant role in __________
(a) building a self-reliant economy (b) strengthening the presidency and the federal government (c) instituting a truly secular state in Nigeria (d) promoting equality for all citizens of Nigeria, regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion
10. Overall, NPP can be seen as having been a successful political party in the second republic, due to its __________
(a) strong grassroots support (b) successful participation in electoral politics (c) contributions to democratic development in Nigeria (d) efforts to advance the interests of Northern Nigeria and Muslims within the country as a whole
Answer key:
1. c, 2. a, 3. d, 4. b, 5. a, 6. d, 7. c, 8. b, 9. d, 10. a
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT (ESSAY TEST)
1. Enumerate the six political parties in the second republic in Nigeria.
2. Which of the parties won the largest number of states in the gubernatorial election of 1983?
3. Discuss the role that NPN played in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape during the second republic.
4. Discuss some of the key achievements of UPN during the second republic in Nigeria.
5. Analyze the sources of finance and sustainability strategies used by NPP as a political party in the second republic.