The agency responsible for fulfilling the purpose of the state is ________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which body acts as the agency through which the state carries out its purposes (maintaining law and order, protecting lives and property, providing welfare, defending the territory, and so on).

Step 2: Explain the concept In Government as a subject, the state is an abstract entity. It is made up of a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and sovereignty. Because it is abstract, it cannot act by itself. It needs an institution to act on its behalf.

That institution is the government. Government is the machinery or agency of the state. It makes laws (legislature), enforces them (executive), and interprets them (judiciary). In this way it fulfils the state's purposes.

Step 3: Eliminate the options

• A. Government: It is the official organ that carries out the state's functions. ✔
• B. Pressure group: It tries to influence government policy for the benefit of its members. It does not act for the state.
• C. Public corporation: It is a government-owned body set up to provide specific services, such as NEPA/PHCN or NNPC. It is only one of the tools government uses, not the main agency.
• D. Media: It informs and educates the public and acts as a watchdog. It has no authority to carry out the state's purposes.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. government.

💡 Exam tip: Remember the link State = idea, Government = action. If a question asks which body carries out, administers, or acts for the state, the answer is almost always government.