States of Nigeria

States of Nigeria
States of Nigeria
Category	Federated states
Location	Federal Republic of Nigeria
Number	36
Populations	1,704,358 (Bayelsa State) – 9,401,288 (Lagos State); Mean: 5,300,000
Areas	3,580 km2 (1,381 sq mi) (Lagos State) – 76,360 km2 (29,484 sq mi) (Niger State); Mean: 25,660 km2 (9,907 sq mi)
Government	State government;
Subdivisions	Local government area (LGA);

Nigeria is a federation of 36 states, each of which is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as enumerated under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In addition to the states, there is the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in which the capital city of Abuja is located.^[1] The FCT is not a state, but a territory of the federal government, governed by an administration headed by a minister. Each state is subdivided into local government areas (LGAs). There are 774 local governments in Nigeria.^[2] Under the Nigerian Constitution, the 36 states enjoy substantial autonomy but are not sovereign entities, as ultimate authority lies with the federal government. Amendments to the constitution can be proposed by the National Assembly, but for an amendment to be valid, it must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the 36 state legislatures, as required under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.^[3]

Current states and the Federal Capital Territory

A clickable map of Nigeria showing its 36 states and the federal capital territory.

A clickable map of Nigeria exhibiting its 36 states and the federal capital territory.

States
Abia Adamawa Akwa Ibom Anambra Bauchi Bayelsa Benue Borno Cross River Delta Ebonyi Edo	Ekiti Enugu Gombe Imo Jigawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kebbi Kogi Kwara Lagos	Nasarawa Niger Ogun Ondo Osun Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Taraba Yobe Zamfara
Territory
Federal Capital Territory

States of Nigeria
Name	ISO 3166-2 code	Seal	Location	City		Geopolitical zone	Area	Population (2019 estimate)^[4]
Name	ISO 3166-2 code	Seal	Location	Capital	Largest	Geopolitical zone	Area	Population (2019 estimate)^[4]
Abia	AB			Umuahia	Aba	South East	6,320 km² (2,440 sq mi)	3,841,943
Adamawa	AD			Yola		North East	36,917 km² (14,254 sq mi)	4,536,948
Akwa Ibom	AK			Uyo		South South	7,081 km² (2,734 sq mi)	4,780,581
Anambra	AN			Awka	Onitsha	South East	4,844 km² (1,870 sq mi)	5,599,910
Bauchi	BA			Bauchi		North East	45,893 km² (17,719 sq mi)	7,540,663
Bayelsa	BY			Yenagoa		South South	10,773 km² (4,159 sq mi)	2,394,725
Benue	BE			Makurdi		North Central	34,059 km² (13,150 sq mi)	5,787,706
Borno	BO			Maiduguri		North East	70,898 km² (27,374 sq mi)	5,751,590
Cross River	CR			Calabar		South South	20,156 km² (7,782 sq mi)	4,175,020
Delta	DE			Asaba		South South	17,698 km² (6,833 sq mi)	5,307,543
Ebonyi	EB			Abakaliki		South East	6,400 km² (2,500 sq mi)	3,007,155
Edo	ED			Benin City		South South	19,559 km² (7,552 sq mi)	4,461,137
Ekiti	EK			Ado Ekiti		South West	6,353 km² (2,453 sq mi)	3,350,401
Enugu	EN			Enugu		South East	13,161 km² (5,081 sq mi)	4,396,098
Federal Capital Territory	FC			Abuja		North Central	7,315 km² (2,824 sq mi)	1,406,239
Gombe	GO			Gombe		North East	18,768 km² (7,246 sq mi)	3,623,462
Imo	IM			Owerri		South East	5,530 km² (2,140 sq mi)	5,167,722
Jigawa	JI			Dutse		North West	23,154 km² (8,940 sq mi)	6,779,080
Kaduna	KD			Kaduna		North West	46,053 km² (17,781 sq mi)	8,324,285
Kano	KN			Kano		North West	20,131 km² (7,773 sq mi)	14,253,549
Katsina	KT			Katsina		North West	24,192 km² (9,341 sq mi)	9,300,382
Kebbi	KE			Birnin Kebbi		North West	36,800 km² (14,200 sq mi)	5,001,610
Kogi	KO			Lokoja		North Central	29,833 km² (11,519 sq mi)	4,153,734
Kwara	KW			Ilorin		North Central	36,825 km² (14,218 sq mi)	3,259,613
Lagos	LA			Ikeja	Lagos	South West	3,577 km² (1,381 sq mi)	12,772,884
Nasarawa	NA			Lafia		North Central	26,256 km² (10,137 sq mi)	2,632,239
Niger	NI			Minna		North Central	76,363 km² (29,484 sq mi)	6,220,617
Ogun	OG			Abeokuta		South West	16,981 km² (6,556 sq mi)	5,945,275
Ondo	ON			Akure		South West	15,500 km² (6,000 sq mi)	4,969,707
Osun	OS			Osogbo		South West	9,251 km² (3,572 sq mi)	4,237,396
Oyo	OY			Ibadan		South West	28,454 km² (10,986 sq mi)	7,512,855
Plateau	PL			Jos		North Central	30,913 km² (11,936 sq mi)	4,400,974
Rivers	RI			Port Harcourt		South South	11,077 km² (4,277 sq mi)	7,034,973
Sokoto	SO			Sokoto		North West	25,973 km² (10,028 sq mi)	5,863,187
Taraba	TA			Jalingo		North East	54,473 km² (21,032 sq mi)	3,331,885
Yobe	YO			Damaturu	Potiskum	North East	45,502 km² (17,568 sq mi)	3,398,177
Zamfara	ZA			Gusau		North West	39,762 km² (15,352 sq mi)	5,317,793

Evolution of Nigerian administrative divisions

Date	Events	Map
1960–1963	At the time of independence in 1960, Nigeria was a federal state of three regions: Northern, Western, and Eastern. Additionally, provinces, which were a legacy of colonial and protectorate times, remained extant until they were abolished in 1976.
1963–1967	In 1963, a new region, the Mid-Western Region, was created from the Western Region.
1967–1976	In 1967, the regions were replaced by 12 states by military decree. From 1967 to 1970 the Eastern Region attempted to secede, as a nation called Biafra during the Nigerian civil war. The Mid-Western Region was renamed to the State of Bendel during this period.
1976–1987	In 1976, seven new states were created, making 19 altogether.^[5]
1987–1991	During this period, there were 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
1991–1996	During this period, there were 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Federal Capital Territory was established in 1991. In 1987 two new states were established, followed by another nine in 1991, bringing the total to 30. The latest change, in 1996, resulted in the present number of 36 states.

Government

States of Nigeria have the right to organize and structure their individual governments in any way within the parameters set by the Constitution of Nigeria.

Legislature

At the state level, the legislature is unicameral, with the number of its members equal to three times the number of legislators it has in the Federal House of Representatives. It has the power to legislate on matters on the concurrent list.

Executive

At the state level, the head of the executive is the governor, who has the power to appoint people to the state executive council, subject to the advice and consent of the state house of assembly (legislature). The head of a ministry at the state level is the commissioner, who is assisted by a permanent secretary, who is also a senior civil servant of the state.

Judiciary

The Judiciary is one of the co-equal arms of the state government concerned with the interpretation of the laws of the state government. The judiciary is headed by the chief justice of the state appointed by the governor subject to the approval of the state house of assembly.^[6]

Chronology

Regions		States
1960	1963	1967	1976	1987	1991	1996
Eastern		South-Eastern	Cross River	Akwa Ibom
		South-Eastern	Cross River	Cross River
		East Central	Imo		Imo
			Imo		Abia
			Anambra		Enugu	Ebonyi
					Enugu	Enugu
					Anambra
		Rivers				Bayelsa
		Rivers				Rivers
Western	Mid-Western		Bendel		Delta
	Mid-Western		Bendel		Edo
	Western	Lagos
		Western	Ogun
			Ondo			Ekiti
			Ondo			Ondo
			Oyo		Osun
			Oyo		Oyo
Northern		Benue-Plateau	Plateau			Nasarawa
			Plateau			Plateau
			Benue		Benue
			Benue		Kogi
		Kwara			Kogi
		Kwara			Kwara
		Kano			Jigawa
		Kano			Kano
		North Central	Kaduna	Kaduna
		North Central	Kaduna	Katsina
		North Western	Niger
			Sokoto		Kebbi
					Sokoto	Sokoto
					Sokoto	Zamfara
		North Eastern	Bauchi			Bauchi
			Bauchi			Gombe
			Borno		Borno
			Borno		Yobe
			Gongola		Adamawa
			Gongola		Taraba

Notes

^ "Federal Capital Territory (FCT) | Location & Geography | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
^ "USAID Nigeria mission: Nigeria administrative divisions" Archived 2007-01-13 at the Wayback Machine United States Agency for International Development, October 2004, last accessed 21 April 2010
^ "1999 Constitution of Nigeria" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
^ Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020
^ Kraxberger, Brennan (2005) "Strangers, Indigenes and Settlers: Contested Geographies of Citizenship in Nigeria" Space and Polity 9(1): pp. 9–27, pages 10, 11, & 15
^ Shetreet, Shimon; Deschênes, Jules (1 January 1985). Judicial Independence: The Contemporary Debate. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-247-3182-4.

Sources

Gboyega Ajayi (2007). The military and the Nigerian state, 1966–1993: a study of the strategies of political power control. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press. ISBN 978-1-59221-568-3.
Solomon Akhere Benjamin (1999). The 1996 state and local government reorganizations in Nigeria. Ibadan: Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research. ISBN 978-181-238-9.
Rotimi T. Suberu (1994). 1991 state and local government reorganizations in Nigeria. Ibadan: Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. ISBN 978-2015-28-8.

External links

"New States of Nigeria". Statoids.
Headline News in Nigeria Archived 2018-08-20 at the Wayback Machine States

States And Capital In Nigeria, Their Slogans & Current Governors A comprehensive list of all states in Nigeria and their current governors.

[1] "Federal Capital Territory (FCT) | Location & Geography | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.

[2] "USAID Nigeria mission: Nigeria administrative divisions" Archived 2007-01-13 at the Wayback Machine United States Agency for International Development, October 2004, last accessed 21 April 2010

[3] "1999 Constitution of Nigeria" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2024.

[4] Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020

[Kraxberger-5] Kraxberger, Brennan (2005) "Strangers, Indigenes and Settlers: Contested Geographies of Citizenship in Nigeria" Space and Polity 9(1): pp. 9–27, pages 10, 11, & 15

[6] Shetreet, Shimon; Deschênes, Jules (1 January 1985). Judicial Independence: The Contemporary Debate. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-247-3182-4.

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