FULL LIST: How 36 Nigerian States Were Created, Breakdown of Months and Years

FULL LIST: How 36 Nigerian States Were Created, Breakdown of Months and Years

  • The Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives have recently begun the debate to create new states in Nigeria
  • Historically, all the states created in Nigeria were founded during the military regime, and it would be a success for the 10th National Assembly if it created one
  • Meanwhile, the list of the states created by the military has been compiled, including their years of establishment and how they were created

Since the beginning of President Bola Tinubu's administration, the National Assembly appears to be working towards making a significant change in the constitutional amendment process, particularly the creation of new states in the southern part of the country.

Though there has been a constitutional amendment since the return of democracy in 1999, the 10th assembly seems to be making moves for a big difference and setting big records with the agitation for creating new states.

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Years, months and how the 36 states and Abuja were created by the military.
Soludo of Enugu and other Nigerian governors. Photo Credit: @RealAARahman, @GovernorObaseki, @CCSoludo
Source: Twitter

Tinubu moving to set evergreen records

The federal government is also moving to set some records that Nigerians will forever point to as President Tinubu's legacies, such as the Lagos to Calabar coastal highway and the move for local government autonomy.

If all these can be achieved within four years of Tinubu's administration, then the tenth assembly and the president would have something to be remembered for because most of these things were last done by the military.

However, it is pertinent to note that state creation has always been the legacy of the military government in Nigeria's history. Since the halting of Nigeria's democratic process in 1966, the country has gradually and consistently witnessed changes in its governance system, particularly the moving away from the regional government to state creation.

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List of states in Nigeria

Below are how states were created and their months of creation:

S/N

State

Date/Year Created

Preceding Entity

1

Abia

August 27, 1991

Imo State

2

Adamawa

August 27 1991

Gongola State

3

Akwa Ibom

September 23, 1987

Cross River State

4

Anambra

February 3, 1976

East Central State

5

Bauchi

February 2, 1976

North-Eastern State

6

Bayelsa

October 1, 1996

Rivers State

7

Benue

February 3, 1976

Benue-Plateau State

8

Borno

February 3, 1976

North-Eastern State

9

Cross River

May 27, 1967

South-Eastern State

10

Delta

August 27, 1991

Bendel State

11

Ebonyi

October 1, 1996

Enugu State and Abia State

12

Edo

August 27, 1991

Bendel State

13

Ekiti

October 1, 1996

Ondo State

14

Enugu

August 27, 1991

(Old) Anambra State

15

Gombe

October 1, 1996

Bauchi State

16

Imo

February 3, 1976

East Central State

17

Jigawa

August 27, 1991

Kano State

18

Kaduna

May 27, 1967

North-Central State

19

Kano

May 27, 1967

North-Central State

20

Katsina

September 23, 1987

Kaduna State

21

Kebbi

August 27, 1991

Sokoto State

22

Kogi

August 27, 1991

Kwara State and Benue State

23

Kwara

May 27, 1967

West Central State

24

Lagos

May 27, 1967

Federal Territory of Lagos

25

Nasarawa

October 1, 1996

Plateau State

26

Niger

February 3, 1976

North-Western State

27

Ogun

February 3, 1976

Western State

28

Ondo

February 3, 1976

Western State

29

Osun

August 27, 1991

Oyo State

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30

Oyo

February 3, 1976

Western State

31

Plateau

February 3, 1976

Benue-Plateau State

32

Rivers

May 27, 1967

Bendel State

33

Sokoto

February 3, 1976

North-Western State

34

Taraba

August 27, 1991

Gongola State

35

Yobe

August 27, 1991

Borno State

36

Zamfara

October 1, 1996

Sokoto State

37

FCT, Abuja

February 3, 1976

Benue-Plateau, North-Central, and North-Western

Lawyer speaks on move to create new states

Legit.ng earlier reported that the National Assembly's recent moves to create new states in the country may be the wrong step for Nigeria in the face of economic challenges.

Titilope Anifowoshe, a legal practitioner, in an interview with Legit.ng, posited that some states in Nigeria could not generate internal revenue and creating other states could mount more pressure on the federal government.

Anifowoshe then suggested that a new and working local government would bring government nearer to the people than creating new states.

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Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

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Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with over 5 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023) by Legit.ng. Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng