The head of government under the 1979 Constitution is the _____

Analyze the question: It asks who headed the government under Nigeria's 1979 Constitution. This means you need to know the type of system of government that constitution created.

Explain the concept: The 1979 Constitution abandoned the parliamentary system of the First Republic (1960-66). It adopted the presidential system, modelled on the United States. Its key features were:

• Separation of powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary
• An executive president who is both head of state and head of government
• A bicameral National Assembly made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives
• A president elected by popular vote, with a vice-president as running mate

By contrast, the prime minister was head of government under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. At that time the President (Nnamdi Azikiwe) was only a ceremonial head of state, and Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the executive Prime Minister.

Step-by-step solution:

1. The 1979 Constitution created the Second Republic (1979-83).
2. Its system was presidential, not parliamentary.
3. In a presidential system, the president combines the roles of head of state and head of government. Shehu Shagari was the first to hold this office, from 1979.
4. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate President lead the legislature, not the executive. This eliminates C and D.
5. The prime minister belongs to the parliamentary system, so B is eliminated.

Answer: The head of government was the president, which is option A.

Exam tip: Link the constitution to the system:

• 1960 and 1963 Constitutions → Parliamentary → Prime Minister
• 1979 Constitution and later → Presidential → President

Remember "79 = Shagari = President" and you will not mix it up.