Last modified: 2021-01-02 by bruce berry
Keywords: nigeria | subnational entities |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Initially Nigeria consisted of only three regions (Western, Northern, Eastern) and Lagos Capital District. Following the Nigerian Civil War, or the Biafra crisis, an administrative reform was undertaken in Nigeria. The reform weakened the power of the separate regions and the power of the various ethnic groups (Haussa peoples in Northern region, Yoruba peoples in Western Region and Igbo peoples in Eastern Region). In 1964, the Mid Western Region was separated from the Western Region. Thus it gave a "remix" in the balance of power of the peoples of Yoruba and Igbo.
In 1967, in a move towards greater autonomy for minority ethnic groups, the military under leadership of Major General Yakubu Gowon divided the four regions into 12 states. However the Igbo rejected attempts at constitutional revisions and insisted on full autonomy for the east. On 29 May 1967 Lt. Col. Emeka Ojukwu, the military governor of the Eastern Region who emerged as the leader of increasing Igbo secessionist movement, declared the independence of the eastern region as the "Republic of Biafra." The ensuing Nigerian Civil War resulted in over 30,000 deaths before ending in the defeat of Biafra in 1970.
In 1976 there was a further reform of the administrative structure and the
number of subdivisions was changed again. In subsequent reforms of the administrative
divisions in Nigeria, the states did not have symbols.*
Jens Pattke, 08 July 2006
*[ed: see Nigeria: Flags of Subdivisions since 1970 for an update to this post]
| Regions | States | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 1960 to 23 January 1964 |
23 January 1964 to 27 May 1967 |
27 May 1967 to 03 February 1976 |
03 February 1976 to 23-September 1987 |
23 September 1987 to
27 August 1991 |
27 August 1991 to
1 October 1996 |
Since 1 October 1996 |
Lagos Federal District | Lagos Federal District | Lagos (1) | Lagos | Lagos | Lagos | Lagos |
| Eastern | Eastern | East Central | Anambra | Anambra | Anambra | Anambra |
| Enugu | Enugu | |||||
| Imo | Imo | Imo | Imo | |||
| Abia | Abia | |||||
| Ebonyi | ||||||
| Rivers | Rivers | Rivers | Rivers | Rivers | ||
| Bayelsa | ||||||
| South Eastern | Crossriver | Crossriver | Crossriver | Cross River | ||
| Akwa Ibon | Akwa Ibon | Akwa Ibon | ||||
| Northern | Northern | Benue-Plateau | Plateau | Plateau | Plateau | Plateau |
| Nassarawa | ||||||
| Benue | Benue | Benue | Benue | |||
| Kano | Kano | Kano | Kano | Kano | ||
| Jigawa | Jigawa | |||||
| North Central | Kaduna | Kaduna | Kaduna | Kaduna | ||
| Katsina | Katsina | Katsina | ||||
| North Eastern | Bornu | Bornu | Bornu | Bornu | ||
| Yobi | Yobi | |||||
| Bauchi | Bauchi | Bauchi | Bauchi | |||
| Gombe | ||||||
| Gongola | Gongola | Adamawa | Adamawa | |||
| Taraba | Taraba | |||||
| North Western | Sokoto | Sokoto | Sokoto | Sokoto | ||
| Zamfara | ||||||
| Kebbi | Kebbi | |||||
| Niger | Niger | Niger | Niger | |||
| Western Central | Kwara | Kwara | Kwara | Kwara | ||
| Kogi | Kogi | |||||
| Western | Western | Western | Oyo | Oyo | Oyo | Oyo |
| Osun | Osun | |||||
| Ogun | Ogun | Ogun | Ogun | |||
| Ondo | Ondo | Ondo | Ondo | |||
| Ekiti | ||||||
| Mid Western | Mid Western | Bendel | Bendel | Edo | Edo | |
| Delta | Delta | |||||
|
Federal Capital Territory (2) |
Federal Capital Territory |
Federal Capital Territory |
Federal Capital Territory |
Federal Capital Territory |
||
| 1 October 1960 to 23 January 1964 |
23 January 1964 to 27 May 1967 |
27 May 1967 to 03 February 1976 |
03 February 1976 to 23-September 1987 |
23 September 1987 to
27 August 1991 |
27 August 1991 to
1 October 1996 |
Since 1 October 1996 |
| Regions | States | |||||
(1) Lagos State formed by merging the then-federal district with portions of the
Western Region
(2) Formed from parts of Plateau, North Central and
North Western States
The coats of arms of the Nigerian regions was created by the Royal Warrant in 1958.
The later coat of arms of the Nigerian states have more African motifs.
Jens Pattke, 23 Dec 2009
4. (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, if in any public place in Nigeria the National Flag is to be exhibited or flown for any purpose, it shall not be exhibited with or be flown on the same staff or cross bar with the flag of any State, or the flag of any Commonwealth or foreign country; and the National Flag or any other flag when exhibited or flown shall not appear in a defaced or tattered condition; but the National Flag shall not be deemed to be defaced by reason only of the fact that it is embodied in or forms part of a State flag.
(2) Where the flag of any State is flown in the State to which it relates or elsewhere than in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, it shall not be necessary for the National Flag to be flown at the same time; but if the flag of a State and the National Flag are to be flown at the same time in a public place in that State or elsewhere in Nigeria, the National Flag of at least the same size as the State flag shall fly above that of any State flag.
Source: nigeria-law.org
Current state flags shown on FOTW:
States without current information (historical information only):
States with no flag information currently available:
Valentin Poposki, 20 Dec 2008
