States of Nigeria

Nigeria is a federation of 36 states, each of which is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares power 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. 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."USAID Nigeria mission: Nigeria administrative divisions" United States Agency for International Development, October 2004, last accessed 21 April 2010 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.

Current states and the Federal Capital Territory

+ States of Nigeria NameISO3166-2code Seal Location City Geopoliticalzone Area Population(2019estimate)Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020 Density(pop/km2)CapitalLargestAbiaABUmuahiaAbaSouth East3,841,943607AdamawaADYolaNorth East4,536,948123Akwa IbomAKUyoSouth South4,780,581675AnambraANAwkaOnitshaSouth East5,599,9101,157BauchiBABauchiNorth East7,540,663164BayelsaBYYenagoaSouth South2,394,725222BenueBEMakurdiNorth Central5,787,706170BornoBOMaiduguriNorth East5,751,59081Cross RiverCRCalabarSouth South4,175,020207DeltaDEAsabaSouth South5,307,543300EbonyiEBAbakalikiSouth East3,007,155470EdoEDBenin CitySouth South4,461,137228EkitiEKAdo EkitiSouth West3,350,401528EnuguENEnuguSouth East4,396,098334Federal Capital Territory FCAbujaNorth Central1,406,239192GombeGOGombeNorth East3,623,462193ImoIMOwerriSouth East5,167,722935JigawaJIDutseNorth West6,779,080293KadunaKDKadunaNorth West8,324,285181KanoKNKanoNorth West14,253,549708KatsinaKTKatsinaNorth West9,300,382384KebbiKEBirnin KebbiNorth West5,001,610136KogiKOLokojaNorth Central4,153,734139KwaraKWIlorinNorth Central3,259,61389LagosLAIkejaLagosSouth West12,772,8843572NasarawaNALafiaNorth Central2,632,239100NigerNIMinnaNorth Central6,220,61781OgunOGAbeokutaSouth West5,945,275350OndoONAkureSouth West4,969,707321OsunOSOsogboSouth West4,237,396458OyoOYIbadanSouth West7,512,855264PlateauPLJosNorth Central4,400,974142RiversRIPort HarcourtSouth South7,034,973635SokotoSOSokotoNorth West5,863,187226TarabaTAJalingoNorth East3,331,88561YobeYODamaturuPotiskumNorth East3,398,17775ZamfaraZAGusauNorth West5,317,793134

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.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 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.

Chronology RegionsStates 1960 1963 1967 1976 1987 1991 1996EasternSouth-EasternCross RiverAkwa IbomCross RiverEast CentralImoImoAbiaAnambraEnuguEbonyiEnuguAnambraRiversBayelsaRiversWesternMid-WesternBendelDeltaEdoWesternLagosWesternOgunOndoEkitiOndoOyoOsunOyoNorthernBenue-PlateauPlateauNasarawaPlateauBenueBenueKogiKwaraKwaraKanoJigawaKanoNorth CentralKadunaKadunaKatsinaNorth WesternNigerSokotoKebbiSokotoSokotoZamfaraNorth EasternBauchiBauchiGombeBornoBornoYobeGongolaAdamawaTaraba

States of Nigeria

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