Wards, Local Government Areas (LGAs) and States in Nigeria

Nigeria is divided into a total number of 9,410 Council Wards, 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 36 states with 1 Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The wards (electoral districts) serve as the smallest administrative units for governance. It is especially relevant during local elections and for activities meant to reach the grassroots directly.

Nigeria’s division into states, LGAs, and wards ensures that governance reaches all levels of society. This hierarchical structure allows local government areas and wards to effectively address community-specific needs and engage citizens in democratic processes.

Nigeria, as a federal republic, has these details as concerns its administrative divisions:

  • Total number of states: 36 (and 1 Federal Capital Territory)
  • Total number of LGAs: 774
  • Total number of council wards: 9,410

Nigeria’s 36 states are:

  1. Abia
  2. Adamawa
  3. Akwa Ibom
  4. Anambra
  5. Bauchi
  6. Bayelsa
  7. Benue
  8. Borno
  9. Cross River
  10. Delta
  11. Ebonyi
  12. Edo
  13. Ekiti
  14. Enugu
  15. Gombe
  16. Imo
  17. Jigawa
  18. Kaduna
  19. Kano
  20. Katsina
  21. Kebbi
  22. Kogi
  23. Kwara
  24. Lagos
  25. Nasarawa
  26. Niger
  27. Ogun
  28. Ondo
  29. Osun
  30. Oyo
  31. Plateau
  32. Rivers
  33. Sokoto
  34. Taraba
  35. Yobe
  36. Zamfara

List of States, Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Wards in Nigeria

Nigeria’s 36 states and 1 Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). and 9,410 Council Wards are located, in various numbers, per states and Local Government Areas.

Largest number of LGAs: Kano has 44 Local Government Areas, the largest number per a state in Nigeria.

Smallest number of LGAs: Bayelsa has 8 Local Government Areas, the smallest number per a state in Nigeria. (Abuja has 6 Local Government Areas so in a context where it is considered as a state, it has the smallest number followed by Bayelsa).

Largest number of wards: Kano has 484 council wards, the largest number per a state in Nigeria. It is followed by Lagos which has: 377.

Smallest number of wards: Bayelsa has 105 council wards, the smallest number per a state in Nigeria. It is followed by Gombe State’s 114 total number of council wards.

Numbers of Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Wards in States of Nigeria

StateLGAWards
Abia17267
Adamawa21226
Akwa lbom31328
Anambra21330
Bauchi20323
Bayelsa8105
Benue23277
Borno27310
Cross River18192
Delta25267
Ebonyi13235
Edo18192
Ekiti16177
Enugu17280
FCT662
Gombe11114
Imo27376
Jigawa27288
Kaduna23255
Kano44484
Katsina34361
Kebbi21225
Kogi21239
Kwara16193
Lagos20377
Nasarawa13147
Niger25275
Ogun20240
Ondo18203
Osun30332
Oyo33351
Plateau17325
Rivers23318
Sokoto23244
Taraba16167
Yobe17178
Zamfara14147
TOTAL7749410

States and their Local Government Areas

Largest to smallest: List of States and their Local Government Areas: From States with the largest number of Local Government Areas to the ones with the smallest number.

StateLGA
Kano44
Katsina34
Oyo33
Akwa lbom31
Osun30
Borno27
Imo27
Jigawa27
Delta25
Niger25
Benue23
Kaduna23
Rivers23
Sokoto23
Adamawa21
Anambra21
Kebbi21
Kogi21
Bauchi20
Lagos20
Ogun20
Cross River18
Edo18
Ondo18
Abia17
Enugu17
Plateau17
Yobe17
Ekiti16
Kwara16
Taraba16
Zamfara14
Ebonyi13
Nasarawa13
Gombe11
Bayelsa8
FCT6

Smallest to largest List of States and their Local Government Areas: From States with the smallest number of Local Government Areas to the ones with the largest number.

StateLGA
FCT6
Bayelsa8
Gombe11
Ebonyi13
Nasarawa13
Zamfara14
Ekiti16
Kwara16
Taraba16
Abia17
Enugu17
Plateau17
Yobe17
Cross River18
Edo18
Ondo18
Bauchi20
Lagos20
Ogun20
Adamawa21
Anambra21
Kebbi21
Kogi21
Benue23
Kaduna23
Rivers23
Sokoto23
Delta25
Niger25
Barno27
Imo27
Jigawa27
Osun30
Akwa lbom31
Oyo33
Katsina34
Kano44

Council Wards, their Local Government Areas and States

Largest to smallest: List of States and their Council Wards: From States with the largest number of Council Wards to the ones with the smallest number.

StateWards
Kano484
Lagos377
Imo376
Katsina361
Oyo351
Osun332
Anambra330
Akwa lbom328
Plateau325
Bauchi323
Rivers318
Borno310
Jigawa288
Enugu280
Benue277
Niger275
Abia267
Delta267
Kaduna255
Sokoto244
Ogun240
Kogi239
Ebonyi235
Adamawa226
Kebbi225
Ondo203
Kwara193
Cross River192
Edo192
Yobe178
Ekiti177
Taraba167
Nasarawa147
Zamfara147
Gombe114
Bayelsa105
FCT62

Smallest to largest: List of States and their Council Wards: From States with the smallest number of Council Wards to the ones with the largest number.

StateWards
FCT62
Bayelsa105
Gombe114
Nasarawa147
Zamfara147
Taraba167
Ekiti177
Yobe178
Cross River192
Edo192
Kwara193
Ondo203
Kebbi225
Adamawa226
Ebonyi235
Kogi239
Ogun240
Sokoto244
Kaduna255
Abia267
Delta267
Niger275
Benue277
Enugu280
Jigawa288
Borno310
Rivers318
Bauchi323
Plateau325
Akwa lbom328
Anambra330
Osun332
Oya351
Katsina361
Imo376
Lagos377
Kano484

Nigeria Council Wards serve several purposes:

  1. Basic Administrative Units: Wards are the smallest electoral and administrative units in Nigeria’s political structure, directly impacting local governance.
  2. Election of Councillors: Each ward elects a councillor who represents them in the LGA council, providing direct governance and a voice for local residents.
  3. Varied Number of Wards: The number of wards varies by LGA and state, depending on population density and geographic considerations.
  4. Grassroots Representation: Wards serve as a bridge between the people and local government, enabling more localized governance and representation.

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