On May 27, 1967, the then Head of State, General Yakubu Dan-Yumma Gowon (91), said: “The main obstacle to future stability in this country is the present structural imbalance in the Nigeria Federation”. No doubt, the General’s statement is as true today as at when he made the broadcast. It was in the broadcast that he created 12 states out of the four regions in existence at that time. The instability keeps on widening daily in the country. And it depends on which area it has effect on you. 

The main focus now is on the coming general elections and all other issues are secondary. In fact, the only job in town now is party politics. There are no factories, there are no industries. To survive in the present-day Nigeria is to be a politician, and that is why sycophancy and party fanaticism have become rampant. 

Governance seems suspended. In spite of flattering words of hope by government, nothing has changed. No improvement, the poor citizens are still lamenting. Life, generally, is becoming unbearable. The killings still continue on innocent ones and nobody knows when it will end. 

We have pushed democracy to the extreme to the extent that it has more or less crippled the country. 

But the issue of restructuring and the creation of new states with other issues will not go away. They will be addressed after the election. President Bola Tinubu or anyone to be elected President in next year’s presidential election, will have no other choice but to address these outstanding issues. 

 The main issue before us is the creation of states. Between 1960 and 1966, Nigeria operated the regional arrangement. However, between 1967 and 1996, the country had to be split into 36 states. The first state creation exercise was undertaken by the regime of General Yakubu Gowon in 1967. Prior to General Gowon’s ascension to power, General Aguiyi Ironsi was Nigeria’s first military Head of State; but following his assassination in July 1966, General Gowon became the new military ruler of the country. He dissolved the four regions in the country and subsequently created 12 states on May 5, 1967. Six states were carved out from the former Northern Region. These were: the North-Western State, the North-Eastern State, Kano State, North-Central State, Benue-Plateau State and Kwara State. The former Western Region was split into two states: the Western State and Lagos State. The former Mid-Western Region became the Mid-Western State, while the former Eastern region had three new states carved out from it. These were the East-Central State, Rivers State and the South-Eastern State. Another state creation exercise took place in 1976 following the ouster of General Yakubu Gowon in a military coup led by General Murtala Mohammed. 

On assumption of office, he (General Murtala Mohammed) created the following States: Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Imo, Niger, Ogun and Ondo, bringing the total number of states to 19, from the original 12 states created by General Yakubu Gowon. It took another 11 years (1987) for another state creation exercise to be undertaken in the country. That was under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida (1985 – 1993). 

In 1987, General Ibrahim Babangida created two states, namely: Akwa Ibom and Katsina. He also created nine additional states in 1991. These were: Abia, Enugu, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Osun, Kogi, Taraba and Yobe. It is instructive to note that Akwa Ibom State was carved out from Cross River State, while Katsina State was created from Kaduna State. Similarly, Adamawa and Taraba states were carved out from the former Gongola State, and Enugu State out of Anambra State, while Edo and Delta states replaced the old Bendel State. Also, Yobe State was created from Borno State, and Jigawa out of Kano State, while Kebbi and Osun states were carved out from Sokoto and Oyo states respectively. Kogi State came from Kwara and Benue states. Altogether, there were 30 states by 1991. 

General Sani Abacha (September 20, 1943 – June 8, 1998) became Nigeria’s next military Head of State in 1993 after ousting the Chief Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government, ING. Due to stringent agitations for more states, General Sani Abacha set up the National Constitutional Conference, NCC, which recommended, among other things, the creation of new states. 

To be continued…