What is Government?

The Definitions of Government

The concept of government has generally been defined as the form or way of leadership. This definition implies that the act or action or inaction of government persist in every organisation such as clubs, schools, business units, church, voluntary associations and even the family. Ibezim (1994:01) defined government as "the agency through which the will of the state is realized." The will of the state here implies that the objectives of the state are realized through the agents of the state who are either elected or selected by the people or even imposed on them for purposes of rule-making, rule implementation and rule adjudication. In the same vein, Olisa, Ekwueme and Nwabufo (1991:02) dubbed government as a body people and institutions that make and execute the laws of a state, make and implement its policies, conduct its affairs and maintain law and order within its territory. Furthermore, Dare and Oyewole (1987) contended that government is nothing but the structures and systems by which decisions and rules are determined and enforced by all members of the society. Simply put was the position of Appadorai (1975:12) which argued that government is the agency or mechinary through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and realized. Government embodies the some total of the legislative, executive and judicial powers in a state.