Creation of 19 States

On February 3, 1976, Head of State General Murtala Mohammed carved seven new states from the existing 12, bringing the total to 19. The new states — Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Imo, Niger, Ogun, and Ondo — were created to address demands from minority ethnic groups and further dilute the power of the old regional blocs.

The exercise was part of Murtala’s sweeping reform program, which also included purging the civil service of 10,000 officials and choosing Abuja as the new federal capital. Just ten days later, on February 13, Murtala was assassinated in a failed coup, but his state creation exercise survived and set the precedent for further restructuring.