Under General Aguiyi Ironsi, decree 34 introduced the ____ system of government.

Analyze the question: The question asks which system of government Decree 34 of 1966 introduced under Major-General Aguiyi Ironsi, Nigeria's first military Head of State.

Concept:

• Nigeria had a federal system under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, with powerful regions (Northern, Western, Eastern, Mid-Western).
• After the January 1966 coup, Ironsi became Head of State. He believed regionalism had contributed to the political crisis.
• On 24 May 1966, he issued the Unification Decree (Decree No. 34).

Solution:

1. Decree 34 abolished the regions and replaced them with groups of provinces.
2. It merged the Federal and Regional civil services into a single national civil service.
3. It changed the name "Federal Military Government" to "National Military Government".
4. Power was concentrated at the center, which is the mark of a unitary system.
5. The decree provoked strong northern protests and riots, and contributed to the July 1966 counter-coup in which Ironsi was killed.

Eliminating the other options:

• Confederal: power would rest with the component units, the opposite of what Decree 34 did.
• Federal: Nigeria already had a federal system, and the decree abolished it.
• None of the above: wrong, since unitary is correct.

Answer: A. unitary

Tip: Link "Decree 34" with "Unification". Unification means one central authority, so it is unitary. Also remember that Gowon later restored federalism by creating 12 states in May 1967.