Features & Functions of Government

Features of Government:

The following are the features of Government;

(i) Political Power: Government exercises political power and authority. Government has the power to make and enforce political power and authority in a state.

(ii) Law-Making: Government makes implements and interprets the law in a state. Both the rulers and the rules are to be guided by the law. These laws may be provided in the ConstitutionA constitution is a set of fundamental rules that determine how a country or state is run. More or the Act of Parliament.

(iii) Revenue: Government generates revenue and expends it in exercising numerous activities of the government.

(iv) Public Support: Government needs the support and recognition of its people for survival.

(v) Change: Government is subject to change. A government does not stay in office indefinitely.

(vi) Organs/Arms of Government: Government possesses three organs of governmentThe 3 branches of government are executive, judicial, and legislative. Executive The executive is the organ that implements the laws enacted by the legislature and enforces the will of the state.... More: legislativeThe legislative branch of government is responsible for making laws within a country. Legislatures are made up of people called legislators who, in democracies, are elected by the country’s population More, executiveThe executive, also referred to as the executive branch or executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law and has overall responsibility... More, and judiciaryThe judicial branch of government refers to a country’s court system. Judiciaries are responsible for interpreting and applying a country’s laws in particular cases, and can also be invested with the... More.

(vii) Personnel or Human resources: The government is run by people. People execute different duties of government e.g. the duties of making law, duties of implementing the law, duties of interpreting, settling cases, etc.

(viii) Government possess instruments of force or coercion.

Functions of Government:

Among the various functions of government in a state are:

(i) Law-Making: The Government enacts laws which the people in a state obey to maintain law and order. 

(ii) Implementation of Law: It is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order and to ensure that the laws are effectively executed. It has set up law enforcement agencies to ensure the law is implemented which include the Police, NDLEA, NAFDAC, EFCC, SSS, ICPC, etc.

(iii) Interpretation of Law: It interprets the law, especially where some provisions of the constitution are not clear. The Supreme Court gives final interpretation to constitutional matters. 

(iv) Settlement of Disputes: The court settles cases between individuals, between individual(s) and institutions, organizations or organs of government, or between institutions of government, and organizations.

(v) Punishment of Law Offenders: It punishes law offenders.

(vi) Security of Lives and Properties in the State: It also ensures security of lives and properties through the army and police. It also secures the state from external attacks and insurgencies. 

(vii) It maintains friendships with other countries.

(viii) It protects the Fundamental Human Rights of people.

(ix) It provides social amenitiesSocial amenities, or public amenities, refer to places, buildings or infrastructural facilities which are to be shared and to become convergence spots for the local and surrounding communities. Examples include good... More.

(x) It creates jobs and provides an enabling environment for the creation of jobs. 

(xi) It provides infrastructure.

(xii) It generates revenue and spends it for public use.

(xiii) It improves the standard of living of the people and provides an enabling environment for socio-economic developmentThe process of improving the social and economic well-being of a society or nation is referred to as socio-economic development. It includes the processes involved in improving a society's economic and... More.

Evaluation Questions: