2026 WAEC GCE Nigerian History 2

Objective & Essay Mock Examination, Answers and Marking Guide

Practice Examination Only

Important Notice

This is an original WAEC GCE-style Nigerian History practice examination. It is for revision only. It is not an official WAEC paper, does not reproduce the actual 2026 examination, and must not be presented as a prediction or leaked paper. WAEC’s 2026 Nigeria timetable identifies SC2072 as Nigerian History 2 (Essay), 2 hours, and SC2071 as Nigerian History 1 (Objective), 1 hour. 

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PAPER 1: OBJECTIVE TEST

60 original practice questions. Choose the option A, B, C or D that best answers each question.

1. An important oral source of Nigerian history is:

A. Folk tale

B. Weather forecast

C. Bank statement

D. Sports result

2. Archaeology is mainly concerned with:

A. Political speeches

B. Material remains

C. Modern elections

D. Weather records

3. A limitation of oral tradition is that information may:

A. Always be written

B. Be distorted over time

C. Never be available

D. Contain no cultural evidence

4. One reason for studying Nigerian history is to:

A. Understand Nigeria’s past and heritage

B. Erase cultural differences

C. Avoid foreign contacts

D. Replace geography

5. The Nok culture is especially associated with:

A. Terracotta and iron working

B. Ocean aviation

C. Modern banking

D. Gunpowder

6. The environment influenced early Nigerian peoples by affecting their:

A. Occupations

B. Mobile phones

C. Modern elections

D. Railways

7. Which was a centralized pre-colonial Nigerian state?

A. Oyo

B. Modern Lagos State

C. ECOWAS

D. Niger Delta Commission

8. The ruler of the Oyo Empire was called the:

A. Alaafin

B. Oba

C. Emir

D. Attah

9. The traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom was the:

A. Oba

B. Alaafin

C. Mai

D. Sarkin

10. The Hausa states became important centres of:

A. Trans-Saharan trade

B. Space travel

C. Petroleum refining

D. Modern aviation

11. Kanem-Borno was strategically linked to:

A. Trans-Saharan trade routes

B. Modern railways

C. Atlantic aviation

D. Oil pipelines

12. The Jihad of Usman dan Fodio began in:

A. 1804

B. 1900

C. 1914

D. 1960

13. Usman dan Fodio established the:

A. Sokoto Caliphate

B. Oyo Empire

C. Benin Kingdom

D. Niger Coast Protectorate

14. One effect of the Sokoto Jihad was the:

A. Expansion of Islamic administration

B. End of farming

C. End of trade

D. Creation of Nigeria in 1960

15. A major economic activity in many pre-colonial Nigerian societies was:

A. Agriculture

B. Computer programming

C. Motor manufacturing

D. Space research

16. The trans-Atlantic slave trade involved the forced movement of Africans mainly to:

A. The Americas

B. Australia only

C. Asia only

D. Antarctica

17. One effect of the trans-Atlantic slave trade was:

A. Population disruption

B. Immediate industrialization

C. Universal literacy

D. End of warfare

18. Christian missionary activities contributed to the spread of:

A. Western education

B. Sokoto administration

C. Trans-Saharan caravans

D. Traditional taxation

19. The European country associated with some of the earliest coastal trading contacts in Nigeria was:

A. Portugal

B. Canada

C. Russia

D. Japan

20. British colonial rule was established through a combination of:

A. Treaties, administration and military action

B. Sports and festivals

C. University elections

D. Tourism

21. The amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates took place in:

A. 1914

B. 1900

C. 1922

D. 1946

22. The official associated with the 1914 amalgamation was:

A. Lord Frederick Lugard

B. Nnamdi Azikiwe

C. Herbert Macaulay

D. Ahmadu Bello

23. Indirect rule relied heavily on:

A. Existing traditional authorities

B. University students

C. Trade unions alone

D. Foreign parliaments

24. Indirect rule was more successful in Northern Nigeria partly because:

A. Centralized emirate structures existed

B. There were no rulers

C. The region had no institutions

D. Missions controlled all emirates

25. A major criticism of indirect rule was that it:

A. Created uneven forms of administration

B. Ended taxation

C. Gave immediate independence

D. Abolished customary law everywhere

26. The Aba Women’s protest of 1929 occurred mainly in:

A. Eastern Nigeria

B. Northern Nigeria

C. Western Nigeria

D. The Federal Capital Territory

27. The Aba Women’s protest was linked to opposition to:

A. Colonial taxation and administrative policies

B. University fees

C. Railway fares

D. Independence celebrations

28. Herbert Macaulay was an early Nigerian:

A. Nationalist

B. Colonial governor

C. Emir

D. Missionary bishop

29. The NNDP was associated with:

A. Herbert Macaulay

B. Ahmadu Bello

C. Yakubu Gowon

D. Murtala Mohammed

30. The Richards Constitution was introduced in:

A. 1946

B. 1951

C. 1954

D. 1960

31. The Macpherson Constitution was introduced in:

A. 1951

B. 1946

C. 1954

D. 1960

32. The Lyttleton Constitution is associated with:

A. 1954

B. 1946

C. 1951

D. 1960

33. The 1954 constitutional reforms established a:

A. Federal system

B. Unitary kingdom

C. Military government

D. Confederation of empires

34. The three major nationalist parties included NPC, AG and:

A. NCNC

B. NEPU

C. NNDP only

D. UPGA only

35. NPC was principally associated with:

A. Northern Nigeria

B. Western Nigeria

C. Eastern Nigeria

D. Niger Delta only

36. Action Group was principally associated with:

A. Western Nigeria

B. Northern Nigeria

C. Eastern Nigeria

D. Borno only

37. NCNC was strongly associated with:

A. Eastern Nigeria

B. Northern Nigeria

C. Western Nigeria

D. Sokoto only

38. Nigeria gained independence on:

A. 1 October 1960

B. 15 January 1966

C. 1 October 1963

D. 29 May 1999

39. Nigeria became a republic in:

A. 1963

B. 1960

C. 1966

D. 1979

40. The first Prime Minister of independent Nigeria was:

A. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

B. Nnamdi Azikiwe

C. Obafemi Awolowo

D. Ahmadu Bello

41. The first President of independent Nigeria was:

A. Nnamdi Azikiwe

B. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

C. Yakubu Gowon

D. Murtala Mohammed

42. The first military coup in Nigeria occurred in:

A. 1966

B. 1960

C. 1975

D. 1983

43. The Nigerian Civil War lasted from:

A. 1967 to 1970

B. 1960 to 1963

C. 1975 to 1979

D. 1983 to 1985

44. The secessionist state during the Civil War was:

A. Biafra

B. Sokoto

C. Kano

D. Mid-West

45. Yakubu Gowon became Head of State in:

A. 1966

B. 1960

C. 1970

D. 1975

46. A major post-war policy associated with Gowon’s government was:

A. Rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation

B. Abolition of states

C. End of federalism

D. Immediate privatization

47. The creation of 12 states in 1967 was announced by:

A. Yakubu Gowon

B. Nnamdi Azikiwe

C. Olusegun Obasanjo

D. Shehu Shagari

48. The 1970s oil boom significantly affected Nigeria’s:

A. Government revenue and economic development

B. Traditional marriage only

C. Colonial constitution

D. Pre-colonial trade

49. Murtala Mohammed became Head of State in:

A. 1975

B. 1966

C. 1979

D. 1983

50. The Second Republic began in:

A. 1979

B. 1963

C. 1966

D. 1983

51. The civilian President elected in 1979 was:

A. Shehu Shagari

B. Nnamdi Azikiwe

C. Yakubu Gowon

D. Murtala Mohammed

52. The 1983 military coup ended the:

A. Second Republic

B. First Republic

C. Third Republic

D. Fourth Republic

53. The Fourth Republic began in:

A. 1999

B. 1993

C. 1983

D. 1979

54. The military government headed by Abdulsalami Abubakar transferred power to civilian rule in:

A. 1999

B. 1993

C. 1985

D. 2003

55. Nigerian nationalism contributed to:

A. Political self-government and independence

B. Expansion of colonial rule

C. End of education

D. Abolition of trade

56. A source useful for studying colonial administration is:

A. Official colonial records

B. Weather apps

C. Sports fixtures

D. Modern advertisements

57. Numismatics is the study of:

A. Coins and currency

B. Plants

C. Languages

D. Bones

58. Ethnography is concerned with the study of:

A. People and their cultures

B. Rivers only

C. Coins only

D. Weapons only

59. A weakness of some colonial written sources is that they may:

A. Reflect the perspective of their authors

B. Contain no information

C. Always be completely false

D. Never mention Africans

60. An example of material evidence is:

A. Pottery

B. A rumour

C. A text message

D. A campaign slogan

61. One social effect of colonial rule was the expansion of:

A. Western education and new urban centres

B. Slave raiding

C. Pre-colonial empires

D. Traditional palaces everywhere

62. Studying Nigerian history can promote:

A. Understanding of heritage and cultural diversity

B. Historical ignorance

C. Rejection of evidence

D. Cultural isolation

Objective Answer Key

1. A   2. A   3. A   4. A   5. A   6. A   7. A   8. A   9. A   10. A   11. A   12. A   13. A   14. A   15. A   16. A   17. A   18. A   19. A   20. A   21. A   22. A   23. A   24. A   25. A   26. A   27. A   28. A   29. A   30. A   31. A   32. A   33. A   34. A   35. A   36. A   37. A   38. A   39. A   40. A   41. A   42. A   43. A   44. A   45. A   46. A   47. A   48. A   49. A   50. A   51. A   52. A   53. A   54. A   55. A   56. A   57. A   58. A   59. A   60. A

PAPER 2: ESSAY MOCK EXAMINATION

Question 1: Sources and reconstruction of Nigerian history

(a) Identify five sources used in reconstructing Nigerian history. (b) Explain four limitations of oral tradition as a historical source.

Question 2: Pre-colonial political systems

(a) Name any two centralized states in pre-colonial Nigeria. (b) Explain five factors that contributed to the rise and development of centralized states in Nigeria.

Question 3: Economic and social development

Discuss five ways in which trade, agriculture and craft production contributed to the development of pre-colonial Nigerian societies.

Question 4: Colonial administration

Explain five features of British indirect rule in Nigeria and discuss three reasons why its application differed between Northern and Southern Nigeria.

Question 5: Nationalism and constitutional development

Outline six important developments that contributed to Nigeria’s attainment of independence between 1945 and 1960. Explain how constitutional changes contributed to political development.

Question 6: Post-independence Nigeria

Answer ONE: (a) Discuss five major challenges faced by Nigeria in the First Republic. OR (b) Explain five important political or socio-economic developments in Nigeria between 1966 and 1999.

Essay Marking Guide

Question 1: 20 marks

Sources 5; limitations of oral tradition 8; organisation, relevance and historical expression 7.

Question 2: 20 marks

Two valid centralized states 4; five explained factors 10; clarity and historical accuracy 6.

Question 3: 20 marks

Trade 5; agriculture 5; craft production 5; organisation and historical accuracy 5.

Question 4: 20 marks

Five explained features of indirect rule 10; regional differences 6; expression and relevance 4.

Question 5: 20 marks

Six relevant developments 10; constitutional development 6; organisation and historical accuracy 4.

Question 6: 20 marks

Five accurate and explained developments or challenges 16; organisation, relevance and historical accuracy 4.

Examiner-Focused Revision Notes

WAEC’s published History e-learning materials show that candidates are expected to explain historical points rather than merely list them. Its examiner commentary identifies oral tradition, archaeology, written history, linguistics, ethnography, numismatics and other evidence as relevant sources.

WAEC examiner materials also cover centralized states, their political and economic organization, colonial rule, nationalism and constitutional development. 

Continue visiting EDUJECTS.com for verified examination updates, revision guides, past question analysis, and study materials throughout the 2026 examination season.

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