List of 36 States in Nigeria + FCT and their Capital
Are you looking for States in Nigeria? If yes, you are in the right place. In this post, we will show you the full list of States in Nigeria and Their Capital including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Nigeria, as a nation, first became a republic in the year 1963, but there were some issues that caused it to succumb to the military rule just three years after a bloody coup d’état.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaQuite socking too, there was the emergence of a separatist movement in the country that later formed the Republic of Biafra in the year 1967, which later led to the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted about three (3) years.
In 1979, Nigeria once again became a republic, that was the year a new constitution was written. However, although the republic was short-lived, as the military seized power again after four years.
After that scenario, a new republic was actually planned to be established in 1993, unfortunately, that plan was dissolved by the then General Sani Abacha.
Nevertheless, after Abacha death in 1998, the fourth republic was later established, and that was the following year, which actually brings to a stop the three decades of intermittent military rule in Nigeria.
How many states do we have in Nigeria, what are their names, and their capitals if you may ask? The answer to the above question is quite simple. Although my focus in this article is to look at the list of States in Nigeria and their capitals, I will love to, first of all, say that Nigeria has thirty-six (36) states and the Federal Capital Territory (FTC) inclusive.
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History of states creation in Nigeria
In fact, as at 1960 to 1966, there was no such thing as a state in the country. What we had then was the Northern region, Western region, Eastern region, and the Mid-Western region.
The creation of states would begin in the year 1967 with General Yakubu Gowon coming to power via a coup d’état. He would dissolve the regions and create twelve states out of them.
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Here is a list of the first twelve states that were created by the then military head of states, Gen. Yakubu Gowon
However, almost a decade later, Gen. Murtala Mohammed would re-create seven states by carving from the existing twelve states that were created by Gen. Gowon.
This will result in the birthing of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja from Niger State as the North West states were divided into Niger and Sokoto.
In the same order, the Northern Eastern state was divided into Bauchi, Gongola, and Borno. Benue-Plateau was, however, carved into Plateau and Benue.
Also, the Western state was separated into three, which were Ondo, Ogun, and Oyo. The East Central states were separated to form Imo and Anambra states.
on February 1976, the newly created states would add up to the existing twelve; thus making nineteen states in Nigeria.
Here is a list of the nineteen states
Eleven years later, under the military rule of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, two new states were created: Akwa Ibom and Kastina.
Akwa Ibom state was carved out of Cross River state, and Kastina state was carved out of Kaduna state.
Owing to the creation of these two states, Nigeria was, therefore, made up of twenty-one states in the year 1987.
On August 27, 1991, the number of Nigeria states would increase to thirty as Gen. Babangida thought it fit to create another nine state to the existing twenty-one.
Thus the creation of Adamawa state and Taraba state from Gongola. Enugu state was carved out from Anambra.
Edo state and Delta state were created from the then Bendel state. In addition, Yobe was carved out from Borno state, and Jigawa state from Kano.
Kebbi state would be carved from Sokoto, and Osun state was created from Oyo state.
In 1993 when Gen. Sani Abacha came into power, the agitations for States creation seemed to have doubled.
And with the recommendations of the National Constitutional Conference(NCC) on the need to create more States, the dreaded General created six more states, on 1st October 1996, to the existing thirty.
The newly created states include Ebonyi states, which was created from Abia and Enugu(part).
Bayelsa state was carved out from Rivers. Nasarawa state was created from Plateau. Zamfara state was created from Sokoto. Gombe state was carved out from Bauch, and Ekiti state was created from Ondo.
Hence the present thirty-six states we have in Nigeria
Information Source: Pulse Nigeria
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List of 36 States in Nigeria + FCT
At this point, let us consider the list of Nigerian states.
Serial Number; Names Of States:
1 Abia State
2 Adamawa State
3 Akwa Ibom State
4 Anambra State
5 Bauchi State
6 Bayelsa State
7 Benue State
8 Borno State
9 Cross River State
10 Delta State
11 Ebonyi State
12 Edo State
13 Ekiti State
14 Enugu State
15 Gombe State
16 Imo State
17 Jigawa State
18 Kaduna State
19 Kano State
20 Katsina State
21 Kebbi State
22 Kogi State
23 Kwara State
24 Lagos State
25 Nasarawa State
26 Niger State
27 Ogun State
28 Ondo State
29 Osun State
30 Oyo State
31 Plateau State
32 Rivers State
33 Sokoto State
34 Taraba State
35 Yobe State
36 Zamfara State
Abuja Federal Capita Territory (FCT) is also inclusive.
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List of States in Nigeria and their Capitals:
Having looked at the number of states in Nigeria, let us look at their individual capital
Serial Number: Name Of States:Their Capitals:
1 Abia State – Umuahia
2 Adamawa – State Yola
3 Akwa Ibom State – Uyo
4 Anambra State – Awka
5 Bauchi State – Bauchi
6 Bayelsa State – Yenagoa
7 Benue State – Makurdi
8 Borno State – Maiduguri
9 Cross River State – Calabar
10 Delta State – Asaba
11 Ebonyi State – Abakaliki
12 Edo State Benin – City
13 Ekiti State Ado – Ekiti
14 Enugu State – Enugu
15 Gombe State – Gombe
16 Imo State – Owerri
17 Jigawa State – Dutse
18 Kaduna State – Kaduna
19 Kano State – Kano
20 Katsina State – Katsina
21 Kebbi State Birnin – Kebbi
22 Kogi State – Lokoja
23 Kwara State – Ilorin
24 Lagos State – Ikeja
25 Nasarawa State – Lafia
26 Niger State – Minna
27 Ogun State – Abeokuta
28 Ondo State – Akure
29 Osun State – Oshogbo
30 Oyo State – Ibadan
31 Plateau State – Jos
32 Rivers State – Port Harcourt
33 Sokoto State – Sokoto
34 Taraba State – Jalingo
35 Yobe State – Damaturu
36 Zamfara State – Gusau
Federal Capita Territory (FCT) – Abuja
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Nigeria’s States, Their Capitals And Their Current Governors 2019
Serial Numbers: States: Capital: Current Governors:
1 Abia State Umuahia, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
2 Adamawa State Yola, Governor Jibrilla Bindow
3 Akwa Ibom State Uyo, Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel
4 Anambra State Awka. Governor Willie Obiano
5 Bauchi State Baluchi, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar
6 Bayelsa State Yenagoa, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson
7 Benue State Makurdi, Governor Samuel Ortom
8 Borno State Maiduguri, Governor Kashim Shettima
9 Cross River State Calabar, Governor Benedict Ayade
10 Delta State Asaba, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa
11 Ebonyi State Abakaliki, Governor Dave Umahi
12 Edo State Benin City, Governor Godwin Obaseki
13 Ekiti State Ado – Ekiti, Governor John Olukayode Fayemi
14 Enugu State Enugu, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
15 Gombe State Gombe, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo
16 Imo State Owerri, Governor Rochas Okorocha
17 Jigawa State Dutse, Governor Badaru Abubakar
18 Kaduna State Kaduna, Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai
19 Kano State Kano, Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
20 Katsina State Katsina, Governor Aminu Bello Masari
21 Kebbi State Birnin Kebbi, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu
22 Kogi State Lokoja, Governor Idris Wada
23 Kwara State Ilorin Abdulfatah Ahmed
24 Lagos State Ikeja, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode
25 Nasarawa State Lafia, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura
26 Niger State Minna, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello
27 Ogun State Abeokuta, Governor Ibikunle Oyelaja Amosun
28 Ondo State Akure, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
29 Osun State Oshogbo, Governor Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola
30 Oyo State Ibadan, Governor Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi
31 Plateau State Jos, Governor, Simon Lalong
32 Rivers State Port Harcourt, Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike
33 Sokoto State Sokoto, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal
34 Taraba State Jalingo, Governor Darius Ishaku
35 Yobe State Damaturu, Governor Ibrahim Geidam
36 Zamfara State Gusau, Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari Abubakar
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Alhaji Muhammed Bello
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