Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Senior Secondary 1

Legitimacy and sovereignty

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Term: 1st Term

Week: 5

Class: Senior Secondary School 1

Age: 15 years

Duration: 40 minutes of 2 periods each

Date:       

Subject:      Government

Topic:-       Legitimacy and sovereignty

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to

  1. Define legitimate government
  2. Outline the factors that determine legitimacy
  3. Define sovereignty
  4. Explain the characteristics of sovereignty
  5. Mention and explain the types of sovereignty
  6. Highlight the limitations to sovereignty

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES: Identification, explanation, questions and answers, demonstration, videos from source

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Videos, loud speaker, textbook, pictures

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

PERIOD 1-2

PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITY

STUDENT’S ACTIVITY

STEP 1

INTRODUCTION

The teacher reviews the previous lesson on power and authority

Students pay attention

STEP 2

EXPLANATION

He defines legitimacy and outlines the factors that determines legitimacy

 

Students pay attention and participates

STEP 3

DEMONSTRATION

He defines sovereignty, explains its characteristics, mentions and explains its types and highlights its limitations

Students pay attention and participate

STEP 4

NOTE TAKING

The teacher writes a summarized note on the board

The students copy the note in their books

 

NOTE

LEGITIMACY AND SOVEREIGNTY

A legitimate government is one that is constitutionally elected and is acceptable to the populace (the people).

 

Factors that determine Legitimacy

  1. Popular participation: For a political system to be accorded legitimacy, the various interest groups such as political parties, pressure groups, etc must be allowed to take part.
  2. Popular Support: A government is said to be legitimate if it receives the popular support of the citizens.
  3. Good Government: people accord legitimacy to a government which meets up their expectations of good governance.
  4. Foreign Diplomacy: The foreign policy adopted by a government of a country determines the legitimacy other nations will accord to such government.
  5. Leadership: A leader that performs creditably well in office will make people to accept his regime as a legitimate one.

 

SOVEREIGNTY

According to professor A. V Dicey, Sovereignty may be defined as the absolute power of the state to exercise supreme legal authority over its own affairs within its territory without any form of external control. Jean Bodin introduced sovereignty to political theory.

 

Characteristics of Sovereignty

  1. Absoluteness: The modern sovereign state issues orders which are binding on all citizen and associations within the territory and receives orders from none.
  2. Permanence: Sovereignty is permanent as long as the state exists.
  3. Indivisibility: the powers of sovereignty which are supreme, absolute, final and coercive cannot be divided or shared.
  4. Comprehensiveness: The power of sovereignty is wide in scope and all embracing which is binding on all persons or groups within the territorial jurisdiction.
  5. Absence of Foreign control: The power of a sovereign state is supreme within its territorial jurisdiction without any foreign control.

 

Types of Sovereignty

  1. Legal Sovereignty: This is the power to make and enforce laws in a given state.
  2. Political Sovereignty: The people exercise this power through the ballot box by voting for those they want to delegate to power.
  3. Defacto Sovereignty: This is the sovereignty acquired by force e.g Armed Forces Ruling Council by General Ibrahim Babangida.
  1. Internal Sovereignty: This is the supreme power of the State to make and enforce laws within its territorial are of jurisdiction.

 

LIMITATIONS TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATE

  1. Membership of International Organizations: The existence of international which many nations belong, has placed serious limitations to the sovereignty of such nations e.g. UNO, ECOWAS etc.
  2. The influence of Powerful Nations: Powerful nations like USA and Russia have a lot of influence on the external sovereignty of the smaller and weaker nations.
  3. The Electorate can check the excesses of the government through elections.
  4. Type of Governmental Power: Sovereignty is best exercised under a unitary government than in a Federal and Confederal systems.
  5. Customs and Traditions: The customs and tradition of the people impose serious limitation on the sovereignty of the state.

 

EVALUATION:    1. Define Legitimacy

  1. Outline the factors that determine legitimacy
  2. Define sovereignty
  3. State the characteristics of sovereignty
  4. Mention and explain the types of sovereignty
  5. Discuss the limitations of sovereignty

CLASSWORK: As in evaluation

CONCLUSION: The teacher commends the students positively