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States of Nigeria

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(Redirected from List of states in Nigeria)

Nigeria
CategoryFederation
LocationNigeria
Number36
Populations1,704,358 (Bayelsa State) – 9,401,288 (Lagos State)
Mean: 5,300,000
Areas3,580 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
Subdivisions
Politics of Nigeria
Constitution
Government
Legislature
  • State delegations
Judiciary
Subdivisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Nigeria portal

Nigeria is a federation of 36 states. Each of the 36 states is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as enumerated under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is the capital territory of Nigeria, and it is in this territory that the capital city of Abuja is located.[1] The FCT is not a state. It is a territory of the Federal Government, administered by Ministers of Government appointed by the President who supervises by the administration of the territory. Each state is subdivided into local government areas (LGAs). There are 774 local governments in Nigeria.[2] Under the constitution, the 36 states are co-equal but not supreme because sovereignty resides with the federal government. The constitution can be amended by the National Assembly, but each amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation.[citation needed]

Current states and the Federal Capital Territory[edit]

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.NigerZinderNiameyBurkina FasoBeninAtlantic OceanCameroonPorto NovoGarouaChadChadLake ChadAbujaSokoto StateKebbi StateZamfara StateKatsina StateJigawa StateYobe StateBorno StateKano StateBauchi StateGombe StateAdamawa StatePlateau StateTaraba StateKaduna StateNasarawa StateBenue StateNiger StateKwara StateOyo StateOgun StateLagos StateKogi StateOsun StateEkiti StateOndo StateEdo StateEbonyi StateDelta StateBayelsa StateRivers StateImo StateAbia StateCross River StateFederal Capital Territory (Nigeria)Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria)Anambra StateAnambra StateEnugu StateEnugu StateAkwa Ibom StateAkwa Ibom StatePort HarcourtBenin CityLagosIbadanKadunaKanoMaiduguri
A clickable map of Nigeria exhibiting its 36 states and the federal capital territory.
States
  • [[Benue State|Benue]
  • [[Bauchi State|Bauchi]
  • Cross River
  • Ebonyi
  • Ekiti
  • Enugu
  • Gombe
  • Kebbi
  • Kogi
  • Kwara
  • Lagos
    		• Territory
    Federal Capital Territory


    States of Nigeria
    Name ISO
    3166-2
    code         		Seal Location City Geopolitical
    zone         		Area Population
    (2019
    estimate)[3]
    Capital Largest
    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[edit]

    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.[4]
    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[edit]

    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[edit]

    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[edit]

    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[edit]

    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.[5]

    Chronology[edit]

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

    See also[edit]

    Notes[edit]

    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. ^ Demographic Statistics Bulletin 2020
    4. ^ 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
    5. ^ Shetreet, Shimon; Deschênes, Jules (1 January 1985). Judicial Independence: The Contemporary Debate. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-247-3182-4.

    Sources[edit]

    • 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[edit]

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

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