# 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. 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-third 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 :
| 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 | City | Geopolitical zone | Area | Population (2019 estimate) | Density (pop/km²) |
| Name | ISO 3166-2 code | Seal | Location | Capital | Largest | Geopolitical zone | Area | Population (2019 estimate) | Density (pop/km²) |
| Abia | AB | | | Umuahia | Aba | South East | 6,320 km$^2$ (2,440 sq mi) | 3,841,943 | 607 |
| Adamawa | AD | | | Yola | Yola | North East | 36,917 km$^2$ (14,254 sq mi) | 4,536,948 | 123 |
| Akwa Ibom | AK | | | Uyo | Uyo | South South | 7,081 km$^2$ (2,734 sq mi) | 4,780,581 | 675 |
| Anambra | AN | | | Awka | Onitsha | South East | 4,844 km$^2$ (1,870 sq mi) | 5,599,910 | 1,157 |
| Bauchi | BA | | | Bauchi | Bauchi | North East | 45,893 km$^2$ (17,719 sq mi) | 7,540,663 | 164 |
| Bayelsa | BY | | | Yenagoa | Yenagoa | South South | 10,773 km$^2$ (4,159 sq mi) | 2,394,725 | 222 |
| Benue | BE | | | Makurdi | Makurdi | North Central | 34,059 km$^2$ (13,150 sq mi) | 5,787,706 | 170 |
| Borno | BO | | | Maiduguri | Maiduguri | North East | 70,898 km$^2$ (27,374 sq mi) | 5,751,590 | 81 |
| Cross River | CR | | | Calabar | Calabar | South South | 20,156 km$^2$ (7,782 sq mi) | 4,175,020 | 207 |
| Delta | DE | | | Asaba | Asaba | South South | 17,698 km$^2$ (6,833 sq mi) | 5,307,543 | 300 |
| Ebonyi | EB | | | Abakaliki | Abakaliki | South East | 6,400 km$^2$ (2,500 sq mi) | 3,007,155 | 470 |
| Edo | ED | | | Benin City | Benin City | South South | 19,559 km$^2$ (7,552 sq mi) | 4,461,137 | 228 |
| Ekiti | EK | | | Ado Ekiti | Ado Ekiti | South West | 6,353 km$^2$ (2,453 sq mi) | 3,350,401 | 528 |
| Enugu | EN | | | Enugu | Enugu | South East | 13,161 km$^2$ (5,081 sq mi) | 4,396,098 | 334 |
| Federal Capital Territory | FC | | | Abuja | Abuja | North Central | 7,315 km$^2$ (2,824 sq mi) | 1,406,239 | 192 |
| Gombe | GO | | | Gombe | Gombe | North East | 18,768 km$^2$ (7,246 sq mi) | 3,623,462 | 193 |
| Imo | IM | | | Owerri | Owerri | South East | 5,530 km$^2$ (2,140 sq mi) | 5,167,722 | 935 |
| Jigawa | JI | | | Dutse | Dutse | North West | 23,154 km$^2$ (8,940 sq mi) | 6,779,080 | 293 |
| Kaduna | KD | | | Kaduna | Kaduna | North West | 46,053 km$^2$ (17,781 sq mi) | 8,324,285 | 181 |
| Kano | KN | | | Kano | Kano | North West | 20,131 km$^2$ (7,773 sq mi) | 14,253,549 | 708 |
| Katsina | KT | | | Katsina | Katsina | North West | 24,192 km$^2$ (9,341 sq mi) | 9,300,382 | 384 |
| Kebbi | KE | | | Birnin Kebbi | Birnin Kebbi | North West | 36,800 km$^2$ (14,200 sq mi) | 5,001,610 | 136 |
| Kogi | KO | | | Lokoja | Lokoja | North Central | 29,833 km$^2$ (11,519 sq mi) | 4,153,734 | 139 |
| Kwara | KW | | | Ilorin | Ilorin | North Central | 36,825 km$^2$ (14,218 sq mi) | 3,259,613 | 89 |
| Lagos | LA | | | Ikeja | Lagos | South West | 3,577 km$^2$ (1,381 sq mi) | 12,772,884 | 3572 |
| Nasarawa | NA | | | Lafia | Lafia | North Central | 26,256 km$^2$ (10,137 sq mi) | 2,632,239 | 100 |
| Niger | NI | | | Minna | Minna | North Central | 76,363 km$^2$ (29,484 sq mi) | 6,220,617 | 81 |
| Ogun | OG | | | Abeokuta | Abeokuta | South West | 16,981 km$^2$ (6,556 sq mi) | 5,945,275 | 350 |
| Ondo | ON | | | Akure | Akure | South West | 15,500 km$^2$ (6,000 sq mi) | 4,969,707 | 321 |
| Osun | OS | | | Osogbo | Osogbo | South West | 9,251 km$^2$ (3,572 sq mi) | 4,237,396 | 458 |
| Oyo | OY | | | Ibadan | Ibadan | South West | 28,454 km$^2$ (10,986 sq mi) | 7,512,855 | 264 |
| Plateau | PL | | | Jos | Jos | North Central | 30,913 km$^2$ (11,936 sq mi) | 4,400,974 | 142 |
| Rivers | RI | | | Port Harcourt | Port Harcourt | South South | 11,077 km$^2$ (4,277 sq mi) | 7,034,973 | 635 |
| Sokoto | SO | | | Sokoto | Sokoto | North West | 25,973 km$^2$ (10,028 sq mi) | 5,863,187 | 226 |
| Taraba | TA | | | Jalingo | Jalingo | North East | 54,473 km$^2$ (21,032 sq mi) | 3,331,885 | 61 |
| Yobe | YO | | | Damaturu | Potiskum | North East | 45,502 km$^2$ (17,568 sq mi) | 3,398,177 | 75 |
| Zamfara | ZA | | | Gusau | Gusau | North West | 39,762 km$^2$ (15,352 sq mi) | 5,317,793 | 134 |

## Evolution of Nigerian administrative divisions

| Date | Events |
| 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. |
| 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 president subject to the approval of the state house of assembly.

## Chronology

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