In Nigeria, items in the exclusive list are under the jurisdiction of

1. Analyze the question The question asks which level of government has authority over items on the exclusive list in Nigeria's federal system.

2. Explain the concept Nigeria practises federalism, which means powers are divided between levels of government. The Constitution sets out these powers in lists:

• Exclusive Legislative List: matters only the federal (central) government can legislate on. Examples are defence, foreign affairs, currency, immigration, citizenship, railways, aviation, and the police.
• Concurrent Legislative List: matters both the federal and state governments can legislate on, such as education and health. If the two conflict, federal law prevails.
• Residual List: matters not mentioned in either list, which are left to the states. This is the usual textbook position, although the 1999 Constitution does not formally list a residual category.

3. Solution

• Exclusive means "belonging to one authority only."
• In Nigeria, that authority is the federal or central government.
• Regional government (A): regions existed only in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. They were replaced by states in 1967, so this is not the current structure.
• State government (B): states handle concurrent and residual matters, not exclusive ones.
• Local government (D): local governments have only limited functions assigned to them by the Constitution.
• Central government (C): this is correct, because exclusive list items are reserved for it.

4. Answer C. central government

5. Tip Remember "Exclusive = Exclusively Executed by the centre." For list questions, match them this way:

• Exclusive → Federal
• Concurrent → Federal and State
• Residual → State