Nigeria has 36 states and FCT (Federal Capital Territory), Abuja.

The 36 states of Nigeria 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

The States and their capitals are:

Map of the 36 states and Abuja (FCT)

Map of the 36 states and capitals

The 36 states were created at various times by different administrations.

Each state is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as stated in the Nigerian constitution.

1960-1963

When Nigeria became independent in 1960, it was a federal state with three regions.

It had Eastern, Northern, and Western regions.

1963-1967

In 1963, a new region was created, bringing the total to four. The new region was known as the Mid-Western Region and was created from the Western Region.

1967-1976

In 1967, the country’s military regime replaced the four regions with 12 states. Between 1967 and 1970, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede from the rest of Nigeria, resulting in the infamous Biafran Civil War.

1976-1987

There were 7 additional states created in 1976, bringing the total to 19. The 19 states of Nigeria in 1976 included the Federal Capital Territory, created from Niger State. In 1987, two more states (Akwa Ibom and Katsina) were created, bringing the total to 21. This was done under the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida.

1988-1991

On August 27, 1991, the number of states in Nigeria increased to thirty as General Babangida thought it fit to create another nine states, bringing the total to 30.

1996

In 1993 when General Sani Abacha came into power, the government was under immense pressure to create additional states. The reigning military regime, under recommendation from the National Constitutional Conference (NCC), decided to create six more states. This was done in October 1996, bringing the total to the current 36 states.

The most recent set of states were created in 1996 by President Sani Abacha.

List of 5 states created in Nigeria on 1 October 1996 by President Sani Abacha

1. Bayelsa
2. Ebonyi
3. Ekiti
4. Gombe
5. Nasarawa
6. Zamfara

List of 11 states created in Nigeria on 27 August 1991 by President Ibrahim Babangida

1. Abia
2. Adamawa
3. Delta
4. Edo
5. Enugu
6. Jigawa
7. Kebbi
8. Kogi
9. Osun
10. Akwa Ibom
11. Katsina

List of 7 states created in Nigeria in 1976 by by President Murtala Mohammed

1. Taraba
2. Yobe
3. Anambra
4. Bauchi
5. Benue
6. Borno
7. Imo

List of 12 states created in Nigeria on 27 May 1967 by by President Yakubu Gowon

1. Niger
2. Ogun
3. Ondo
4. Oyo
5. Plateau
6. Sokoto
7. Kano
8. Cross River
9. Kaduna
10. Kwara
11. Lagos
12. Rivers

At the time Nigeria got independence it was a federation of the three states, by then called regions, namely:

• Western
• Eastern
• Northern

Later on another region was added, the Mid-Western Region.

The Mid-Western Region was formed from the Western Region in 1966, and Lagos, the capital, was effectively governed as an unofficial fourth region outside the bounds of the Western Region.

This brought the number of regions to 4 as follows:

• Western
• Mid-Western
• Western
• Northern

Under the short-lived military government of Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria was reorganized under a central government. Following a coup which resulted in Aguiyi-Ironsi’s deposition and assassination, Nigeria was reorganized as a federal country again with three of the regions being divided into newer entities and all first-level subdivisions being renamed as states.

Western Region was divided into:
Lagos (Lagos)
and Western (Ibadan) states.

Eastern Region was divided into:
East-Central (Enugu),
Rivers (Port Harcourt),
and South-Eastern (Calabar) states;

Northern Region was divided into:
Benue-Plateau (Jos),
Kano (Kano),
Kwara (Ilorin),
North-Central (Kaduna),
North-Eastern (Maiduguri),
and North-Western (Sokoto) states

1976 reorganization of Nigeria’s federating units

In 1976, six years after the end of the civil war, the states were further reorganized:

State boundaries and names were also reorganized.

Benue-Plateau state divided into:
Benue (Makurdi)
and Plateau states.

East-Central state divided into:
Anambra
and Imo (Owerri) states.
Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) formed from parts of Niger and Plateau states.

North-Eastern state divided into:
Bauchi (Bauchi),
Borno,
and Gongola (Yola) states.
Niger (Minna) state split from Sokoto.

Western state divided into:
Ogun (Abeokuta),
Ondo (Akure),
and Oyo states

States of Nigeria from 1987-1991

Akwa Ibom state created from Cross River;
Katsina state created from Kaduna

States of Nigeria from 1991-1996

Abia State split from Imo;
Bendel State divided into Delta and Edo;
Enugu State created from Anambra;
Gongola State divided into Adamawa and Taraba;
Jigawa State created from Kano;
Kebbi State created from Sokoto;
Kogi State formed from parts of Benue and Kwara;
Osun State created from Oyo;
Yobe State created from Borno.

States of Nigeria from 1996

Bayelsa State created from Rivers;
Ebonyi State was formed from parts of Abia and Enugu;
Ekiti State created from Ondo;
Gombe State created from Bauchi;
Nasarawa State created from Plateau;
Zamfara State was created from Sokoto.