October 2022
Introduction
If any person was born in 1955 in Obowo, the conventional way of writing his place of birth in academic reports would be something like this: “Obowo, Eastern Nigeria”. If the author thinks that some of the readers would not instantly know the meaning of Eastern Nigeria, he would add that Obowo is in Imo State today. As there was no sub-national entity called Imo State in 1955, it would be historically inaccurate and unconventional to write “Obowo, Imo State” as the person’s place of birth. This is a simple way of illustrating the challenge that we (historians and non-historians) face as we write about the distant and not-so-immediate past. We have to write in the context of political entities that no longer exist—entities that have either been divided into newer units or absorbed into larger entities or just renamed.
One of the tasks of the person writing about such periods is to relate those places to the political entities with which we are familiar today. Thus, we see phrases and sentences like the following: “excavations in Nubia (in the area of today’s South Sudan”) reveal…”; “Born in Bakassi, Cross River State, which is Cameroon today, Edem Bassey …”; and “Stalin attended a seminary in Tbilisi, the Russian Empire, an oil-rich region in today’s Republic of Georgia”. Historians deal with this challenge by looking at historical atlases and, where none can be found for the subject, doing some research to find out previous political entities that existed in their areas of study. This may take time.
It is to help address the challenge defined above that the tables below have been drawn up. It is also meant to help non-historians who have other practical problems to solve, especially finding documents to help deal with issues like land ownership, chieftaincy disputes, marriage disputes, and other matters that require reference to (old) documents. While documents are shared between old and new headquarters when political units are split, it is usually the case that some are not shared. The reason for this could be lack of time, misplacement, laziness or that the matter treated in a document relates to the entire area that is split. Some of the documents that are deliberately not shared may be too large and their writings too faint to be photocopied. These tables will help the tracing of such documents. The tables contain lists of all the states and local governments in Igboland since 1970 (the year the Nigerian civil war ended). It shows when new political units were created and how the new ones are related to the older ones. The local government areas in the Igbo cultural areas of Rivers State are not listed here. The reason for this should not bother us here.
* * *
It is established that European colonial powers created many small states in Africa. It is also true that the colonizers divided some pre-colonial states and ethnic groups between different colonial territories. However, the number of states the colonial powers created was by far smaller than the number of political entities in pre-colonial Africa. Besides, the boundaries of most pre-colonial units were not as fixed or normatively immutable like those of states under the Westphalian system. Indeed, under the colonial powers, the prevailing trend in the creation of states was one of enlargement. Thus, the countries the colonial powers founded in Africa were generally larger, and had more clearly defined boundaries, than the ones that existed in pre-colonial Africa.
Within each colonial territory, the colonial powers created large sub-national units. With time, it became necessary to increase the number of the sub-national units. This meant that, each time more units were created, the sizes of previous units were reduced. This process has continued in most African states till today. The reasons for the continuous creation of more sub-national units include the following: increase in the size of the personnel and other resources needed to administer the colonies; increase in the functions of government; agitations to “bring government closer to the people”, and agitations by some groups to end domination (“internal colonialism”) by larger groups in the same units.
At the time of its birth in 1914, Nigeria was divided into two regions (Northern and Southern). The number of regions was increased to three in 1939, when Southern Nigeria was split into two: Eastern Nigeria and Western Nigeria. In 1963, the Mid-Western Region was created out of the Western Region. Subsequently, from May 1967, the primary sub-divisions of Nigeria were called states. The number of states rose from 12 in 1967 to 19 in 1976 plus a federal capital territory, to 21 in 1987, to 30 in 1991 and to 36 in 1996.
Within the regions of Nigeria, there were two sub-administrative and political units. The primary ones were called provinces. Next (below the provinces) were divisions. As of the end of the colonial era, Igboland was split among six provinces: Onitsha, Owerri, Ogoja and Rivers in Eastern Region, and Benin and Delta in Mid-Western Region. Provinces were abolished after states were created, but divisions remained. They were renamed local government areas (LGAs) in 1976. Thus, the political divisions of Igboland that are in the tables below are states and divisions, and LGAs. The creation of divisions had been the responsibility of the regional and state governments. The federal government took over this responsibility in 1976 and imposed a uniform local government system on the country. Since 1976, the federal government has created LGAs three more times, in 1989, 1991 and 1996. During the Second Republic (1979-83), some state governments, including those of the then Anambra and Imo states, created LGAs. The military government abolished them in early 1984. Under the Obasanjo regime (1999-2007), some state governments created new LGAs. But these were not recognized by the federal government, and, after a Supreme Court judgement on the matter, were also abolished. Thus, the LGAs in these tables do not include the short-lived LGAS created by state governments in 1979-83.
* * *
I am an eye witness to the creation of the administrative units in the table. So I am one of my important sources. I could not use archival and library sources when this work was done. Thus, I could not find any physical publication containing the list of the divisions in East-Central State in 1970-76. The internet copy of a 1975 dissertation on public education (written by Martin Umachi Okoro), as well as a few other internet sources, provided the needed information. The lists of the LGAs created in 1976 and 1996 are in the 1979 Constitution and the 1999 Constitution, respectively. Each federal constituency of the Second Republic was made an LGA in April 1989. So the LGAs of 1989-91 are the federal constituencies listed in the 1979 Constitution. Getting the list of the LGAs created in 1991 was problematic. The newspapers of the period are not in the internet. A publication of the National Bureau of Statistics enabled me to get them. Two fellow historians—Professors Johncliff Nwadike and Paul Obi-Ani—were also my sources. I am grateful to them.
I would have made 1900 my base year if I had archival and library sources when I did this work (during the strike by university lecturers in 2022). I expect another researcher to take up the challenge.
Okechukwu Edward Okeke is of the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, NIGERIA
POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF IGBOLAND SINCE 1970
(Excluding the Igbo-speaking areas of Rivers State)
TABLE 1A: DIVISIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL STATE, 1970-1976
| YEAR | STATE | DIVISIONS
|
REMARKS |
| 1970
|
East-Central
|
1. Aba Urban 2.Abakaliki 3.Afikpo
4. Aguata 5.Anambra 6. Arochukwu 7.Awgu 8.Bende 9. Enugu Urban 10. Etiti 11.Ezzikwo 12. Idemili 13. Igbo Eze 14.Ihiala 15. Ishielu 16. Isi Uzo 17.Mbaise 18.Mbaitoli/Ikeduru 19. Mbano 20.Mgbidi 21.Ngwa 22. Njikoka 23.Nkanu 24.Nkwerre 25. Nnewi 26.Nsukka Urban 27.Ogbaru 28. Oguta 29.Ohafia 30. Okigwe 31. Onitsha Urban 32.Owerri Urban 33. Udi 34.Ukwa 35.Umuahia Urban
|
· East-Central State was created on 27 May 1967. It was one of the twelve states created by the Federal Military Government the same day.
· Because of the civil war (1967-70), the state government was unable to establish control over the entire state until January 1970. · The state was made up of:
¨ Onitsha Province (Awka, Awgu, Nsukka, Onitsha and Udi divisions);
¨ Owerri Province (Aba, Bende, Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri divisions); and
¨ Abakaliki and Afikpo divisions of Ogoja Province. (The indigenes of the other divisions Ogoja Province were, and are, non-Igbo. The non-Igbo divisions—Ikom, Obubra, Obudu and Ogoja— were merged with Calabar Province to form South-Eastern State.) · East-Central State was divided into thirty-five divisions in 1970.
|
TABLE 1B: IGBO-SPEAKING DIVISIONS OF MID-WESTERN STATE, 1970-1976
| YEAR | STATE | DIVISIONS
|
REMARKS |
| 1970 | Mid-Western | 1. Aboh
2. Agbor 3. Asaba
|
· The Mid-Western Region was created out of the Western Region in 1963. It was made up of two provinces: Benin and Delta. Because of the region’s relatively small size, it was not divided in May 1967 when the other three regions were split. It was just renamed Mid-Western State.
· Aboh Division had been in Delta Province, while Agbor and Asaba divisions were in Benin Province. · The other divisions in Mid-Western State were, and are, non-Igbo areas. |
TABLE 2A: LGAs OF ANAMBRA STATE, 1976-1989
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
(from 1979) |
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1976 | Anambra | Abakaliki | 1. Abakaliki
2. Ezza 3. Ikwo 4. Ishielu |
· The Federal Military Government created seven new states in February 1976. East-Central State was divided into two states: Anambra and Imo. Anambra comprised the areas of the defunct Onitsha Province and of Abakaliki Division of the defunct Ogoja Province. Imo State, on the other hand, was made of the area of the defunct Owerri Province and of Afikpo Division of the defunct Ogoja Province.
· Also in 1976, the Federal Military Government adopted a uniform local government system for all the states in Nigeria. Besides, it created local government areas (LGAs) in all the states in the country. · The number of LGAs in the new state was twenty-three(five more than the number of divisions in the area in 1970-76). · Four divisions of 1970-76 were split into each, one was split into three, and two were merged to form one LGA, as follows: ¨ Awgu Division: Awgu and Oji River LGAs. ¨ Ezzikwo Division:Ezza and IkwoLGAs. ¨ Njikoka Division: Njikoka and Awka LGAs. ¨ Ogbaru and Onitsha Urban Divisions were merged to form Onitsha LGA. ¨ Nsukka Urban Division: Nsukka, Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani LGAs. ¨ Udi Division: Ezeagu and UdiLGAs.
|
| Awka | 1. Aguata
2. Awka 3. Njikoka |
|||
| Enugu | 1. Awgu
2. Enugu 3. Ezeagu, 4. Nkanu 5. Oji River 6. Udi |
|||
| Nsukka | 1. Igbo Etiti
2. Igbo Eze 3. Isi Uzo 4. Nsukka 5. Uzo Uwani |
|||
| Onitsha | 1. Anambra
2. Idemili 3. Ihiala 4. Nnewi 5. Onitsha |
TABLE 2B: IGBO-SPEAKING LGAs OF BENDEL STATE, 1976-1989
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
(from 1979) |
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1976 | Bendel | Bendel East | 1. Aniocha
2. Ika 3. Ndokwa 4. Oshimili |
· When new states were created in 1976, Mid-Western State was left intact. However, it was renamed Bendel State. “Bendel” is a blend of the provinces that made up the state: Benin and Delta.
· The four Igbo-speaking LGAs formed Bendel East Senatorial Zone in 1979. There was a total of 15 LGAs in the other (four) senatorial zones in the state. · There had been three divisions in the Igbo-speaking zone. One was split to raise the number of LGAs to 4. · Here is how the new LGAs were related to the three divisions that preceded them: ¨ Aboh Division was renamed Ndokwa LGA. ¨ Agbor Division was renamed Ika LGA. ¨ Asaba Division was divided into two: Aniocha and Oshimili LGAs.
|
TABLE 2C :LGAs OF IMO STATE, 1976-1989
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
(from 1979) |
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1976 | Imo | Aba | 1. Aba
2. Isiala Ngwa 3. Obioma Ngwa 4.Ukwa |
· The Federal Military Government created 7 new states in February 1976. East-Central State was divided into two states: Anambra and Imo.
· Imo was made up of the areas of the defunct Owerri Province and of Afikpo Division of the defunct Ogoja Province. · The number of LGAs in the new state was twenty-one. The number was higher by four than the number of divisions in the area in 1970-76. · One division was divided into three LGAs. Three were divided into two, and two divisions were merged to form one LGA, as follows: ¨ Afikpo Division: Afikpo and Ohaozara LGAs. ¨ Arochukwu and Ohafia Divisions were merged to form Arochukwu/Ohafia LGA. ¨ Mbaise Division: Aboh Mbaise and Ahiazu Mbaise LGAs ¨ Ngwa Division: Isiala Ngwaand Obioma Ngwa LGAs. ¨ Nkwerre Division:Ideato, Nkwerre/Isu and Orlu LGAs. · Aba Urban Division was renamed Aba LGA. · Mgbidi Division was renamed Oru LGA. · Oguta Division was renamed Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta LGA. · Okigwe Division was renamed Isuikwuato/Okigwe LGA. · Umuahia Urban Division was renamed Ikwuano/Umuahia LGA. · In boundary adjustments made by the Federal Military Government after the creation of states in February 1976, the southernmost part of Egbema in the defunct Oguta Division and of Ndoki in the defunct Ukwa Division were excised from Imo State and merged with newly created LGAs in Rivers State. |
| Okigwe | 1. Etiti
2. Isuikwuato/Okigwe 3. Mbano |
|||
| Orlu | 1. Ideato
2. Nkwerre/Isu 3. Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta 4. Orlu 5Oru |
|||
| Owerri | 1. Aboh Mbaise
2. Ahiazu Mbaise 3. Mbaitoli/Ikeduru 4. Owerri |
|||
| Umuahia | 1. Afikpo
2. Arochukwu/Ohafia 3. Bende 4. Ikwuano/Umuahia 5. Ohaozara |
TABLE 3A: LGAs OF ANAMBRA STATE, 1989-1991
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
LGAs
|
REMARKS |
| 1989 | (Old) Anambra | — | 1. Abakaliki 2. Aguata
3. Awgu 4. Anambra 5. Anaocha 6. Awka 7. Enugu 8. Ezeagu 9. Ezza 10. Idemili 11. Igbo-Etiti 12. Igbo-Eze 13. Ihiala 14. Ikwo 15. Ishielu 16. Isi-Uzo 17. Izzi 18. Njikoka 19. Nkanu 20. Nnewi 21. Nsukka 22. Ogbaru 23. Ohaukwu 24. Oji-River 25. Onitsha 26. Orumba 27. Oyi 28. Udi 29. Uzo-Uwani. |
· In April 1989, the Federal Military Government made each federal constituency in the country an LGA, thus raising the number of LGAs in Anambra state from twenty-three to twenty-nine.
· To increase the number from twenty-three to twenty-nine, six of the LGAs created in 1976 were split into two, as follows: ¨ Abakaliki: Abakaliki and Izzi. ¨ Aguata: Aguata and Orumba. ¨ Anambra: Anambra and Oyi. ¨ Ishielu: Ishielu and Ohaukwu. ¨ Njikoka: Njikoka and Anaocha. ¨ Onitsha: Onitsha and Ogbaru. · On the basis of cultural affinity, Ayamelum community was excised from Uzo-Uwani LGA and made a part of the newly created Oyi LGA. The greater part of Oyi LGA had been in (the old) Anambra LGA. |
TABLE 3B: IGBO-SPEAKING LGAS OF BENDEL STATE, 1989-1991
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
LGAs
|
REMARKS |
| 1989 | Bendel | — | 1. Aniocha
2. Ika 3. Ndokwa 4. Oshimili |
· In response to pressure to create more LGAs, the Federal Military Government, apparently confused as to the criteria to adopt, took an easy decision. It made every federal constituency in the country an LGA (April 1989).
· The above decision raised the number of LGAs in the Bendel State from 19 to 20. · The only LGA that was divided in Bendel State was Okpe, in the Urhobo area. Thus, no new LGA was created in the Igbo-speaking area of the state. |
TABLE 3C: LGAs OF IMO STATE, 1989-1991
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
(from 1979) |
LGAs
|
REMARKS |
| 1989 | (Old) Imo
|
—
|
1.Aba 2. Aboh-Mbaise
3.Afikpo 4. Ahiazu-Mbaise 5.Arochukwu 6. Bende 7.Ehime Mbano 8. Ezinihitte 9.Ideato 10. Ihitte/Uboma 11. Ikeduru 12. Ikwuano/Umuahia 13. Isiala Mbano 14. Isiala Mbano 15. Isu, 16. Isuikwuato 17. Mbaitoli 18. Ngor-Okpala 19. Nkwerre 20. Obioma/Ngwa 21. Obowo 22. Ohafia 23. Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta 24. Ohaozara 25. Okigwe 26. Onicha 27. Orlu 28. Oru 29. Owerri 30. Ukwa
|
· The Federal Military Government made every federal constituency in Nigeria an LGA (April 1989).
· Thus, the number of LGAs in Imo State rose from twenty-one to thirty. · Nine LGAs were split to raise the number of LGAs created in 1976 from twenty-one to thirty, as follows: ¨ Aboh Mbaise: Aboh Mbaise and Ezinihitte. ¨ Arochukwu/Ohafia:Arochukwu and Ohafia. ¨ Etiti: Ihitte/Uboma and Obowo. ¨ Isuikwuato/ Okigwe: Isuikwuato and Okigwe. ¨ Mbano: Ehime Mbano andIsiala Mbano. ¨ Mbaitoli/Ikeduru: Mbaitoli and Ikeduru. ¨ Nkwerre/Isu: Nkwerre and Isu. ¨ Ohaozara: Ohaozara and Onicha. ¨ Owerri:Owerri and Ngor Okpala.
|
TABLE 4A: LGAs OF ABIA STATE, 1991-1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1991 | Abia | Abia North | 1. Afikpo North
2. Afikpo South 3. Arochukwu 4. Bende 5. Isuikwuato 6. Ohafia 7 Ohaozara 8. Onicha |
· On 27 August 1991, the Federal Military Government created nine new states in Nigeria, raising the number of states in the country from twenty-one(since 1987) to thirty.. In this exercise, Anambra and Imo states were each divided into two. Anambra was divided into Anambra and Enugu states, and Imo into Abia and Imo states. New LGAs were also announced on the same day.
· The number of LGAs in the area that became Abia State had been twelve. Five of them were split into two, raising the number of LGAs in the area from thirteen to seventeen. · Here are the five LGAs created in 1989 that were split: ¨ Aba: Aba North and Aba South. ¨ Afikpo:Afikpo North and Afikpo South. ¨ Ikwuano/Umuahia: Ikwuano and Umuahia. ¨ Isiala Ngwa:Isiala Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South. ¨ Ukwa:Ukwa East and Ukwa West. · Before April 1989, Isuikwuato and Okigwe, belonged to one LGA (Isuikwuato/Okigwe LGA). With the LGA having two federal constituencies, each of them became an LGA in 1989. When Abia State was created, Isuikwuato became a part of Abia State, while Okigwe remained in the (new) Imo State. |
| Abia Central | 1. Ikwuano
2. Isiala Ngwa North 3. Isiala Ngwa South 4. Umuahia |
|||
| Abia South | 1. Aba North
2. Aba South 3. Obioma Ngwa 4. Ukwa East 5. Ukwa West |
TABLE 4B: LGAs OF ANAMBRA STATE, 1991-1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
PROVINCES AND DIVISIONS (AS OF 1 JANUARY 1959) & LGAS
(SINCE 1976)
|
REMARKS |
| 1991 | (New)
Anambra |
Anambra North | 1. Anambra
2. Ogbaru 3. Onitsha 4. Oyi |
· On 27 August 1991, the Federal Military Government divided Nigeria into thirty states, increasing the number of states in the country by nine. In this exercise, Anambra and Imo states were each divided into two. Anambra was divided Anambra and Enugu states, and Imo was also divided into two: Abia and Imo states. New LGAs were also announced on the same day.
· Basically because Anambra, rather than Enugu, got a new state capital (Awka), Anambra was assumed to be the new state. · Since 1989, there had been twelve LGAs in the area that became (the new) Anambra State. Three of them were split into two, raising the number of states in the new state to fifteen. · Here are the LGAs that were split: ¨ Awka: Awka North and Awka South. ¨ Nnewi: Nnewi North and Nnewi South ¨ Orumba: Orumba North and Orumba South.
|
| Anambra Central | 1. Awka North
2. Awka South 3. Anaocha 4. Idemili 5. Njikoka |
|||
| Anambra South | 1. Aguata
2. Ihiala 3. Nnewi North 4. Nnewi South 5. Orumba North 6. Orumba South
|
TABLE 4C: LGAs OF THE IGBO-SPEAKING AREA OF DELTA STATE, 1991-1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
PROVINCES AND DIVISIONS (AS OF 1 JANUARY 1959) & LGAS
(SINCE 1976)
|
REMARKS |
| 1991 | Delta | Delta North | 1. Aniocha North
2. Aniocha South 3. Ika North East 4. Ika South 5. Ndokwa East 6. Ndokwa West 7. Oshimili
|
· Bendel State was split in two on 27 August 1991, when the Federal Military Government announced the creation of 9 more states. The two states are Delta and Edo. The Igbo-speaking area is in Delta State. New LGAs were also announced on the same day.
· There had been four LGAs in Delta North Senatorial Zone in 1989-91. With the creation of more LGAs in August 1991, the number of LGAs was increased by three, as follows: ¨ Aniocha: Aniocha North and Aniocha South. ¨ Ika:Ika North East and Ika South. ¨ Ndokwa: Ndokwa East and Ndokwa West.
|
TABLE 4D: LGAs OF ENUGU STATE, 1991-1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1991 | Enugu | Enugu North
(Nsukka Zone) |
1.Igbo Etiti
2. Igbo Eze North 3. Igbo Eze South 4. Isi Uzo 5. Nsukka 6. Uzo Uwani |
· On 27 August 1991, the Federal Military Government divided Nigeria into 30 states, increasing the number of states in the country, since 1987, to thirty. . In this exercise, Anambra and Imo states were each divided into two. Anambra was divided into two (Anambra and Enugu), and Imo was also divided into two (Abia and Imo).
· In respect of the (old) Anambra State, the new state—the area with a new capital—retained the name Anambra. The other part was named Enugu State. · New LGAs were also announced on the same day that new states were created. Only two were created in the area that became Enugu State. Thus, the number of LGAs in the state rose from seventeen to nineteen. · Two LGAs were split into two, as follows: ¨ Enugu: Enugu North and Enugu South. ¨ Igbo Eze: Igbo Eze North and Igbo Eze South.
|
| Enugu South
(Enugu Zone) |
1. Awgu
2. Enugu North 3. Enugu South 4. Ezeagu 5. Nkanu 6. Oji River 7. Udi |
|||
| Enugu East
(Abakaliki Zone) |
1. Abakaliki
2. Ezza 3. Ikwo 4. Ishielu 5. Izzi, 6. Ohaukwu |
TABLE 4E: LGAs OF IMO STATE, 1991-1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONE
|
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1991 | (New)
Imo |
ImoNorth | 1. Ihitte/Uboma
2. Ehime Mbano 3. Isiala Mbano 4. Obowo 5. Okigwe |
· On 27 August 1991, the Federal Military Government divided Nigeria into 30 states, up from 21 since 1987. In this exercise, Anambra and Imo states were each divided into two. Anambra was divided into two (Enugu and Anambra), and Imo was also divided into two (Imo and Abia). New LGAs were also announced on the same day.
· From April 1989 to August 1991, there were eighteen LGAs in the area that became (the new) Imo State in August 1991. Three of them were split into two to raise the number of LGAs in the state to twenty-one, as follows: ¨ Ideato: Ideato North and Ideato South. ¨ Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta: Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta. ¨ Orlu:Orlu and Orsu. |
| Imo East | 1. Aboh Mbaise
2. Ahiazu Mbaise 3. Ezinihite 4. Ikeduru 5. Mbaitoli 6. Ngor Okpala 7. Owerri |
|||
| Imo West | 1. Ideato North
2. Ideato South 3. Isu 4. Nkwerre 5. Oguta 6. Ohaji/Egbema 7. Orlu 8. Orsu 9. Oru |
TABLE 5A: LGAs OF ABIA STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL
ZONE |
LGAs | REMARKS |
| 1996 | Abia | Abia North | 1. Arochukwu
2. Bende 3. Ohafia 4. Isuikwuato 5. Umuneochi |
· On 1 October 1996, four LGAs in Abia State—Afikpo North, Afikpo South, Ohaozara and Onicha—were excised from the state and made a part of the newly created Ebonyi State. (The rest of Ebonyi State had been in Enugu State.)
· New LGAs were also created in each state in 1991. · From April 1989 to August 1991, there were thirteen LGAs in the area that became (the new) Abia State on 27 August 1991. Four more LGAs were created, raising the number of LGAs in the state to seventeen. · Three LGAs were divided to raise the number of LGAs from thirteen to 17, as follows:
¨ Isuikwuato: Isuikwuato and Umunnneochi. ¨ Obioma Ngwa:Obi Ngwa, Osisisioma and Ugwunabo. ¨ Umuahia:Umuahia North and UmuahiaSouth. |
| Abia Central | 1. Ikwuano
2. Isiala Ngwa North 3. Isiala Ngwa South 4. Umuahia North 5. Umuahia South |
|||
| Abia South | 1. Aba North
2. Aba South 3. Obi Ngwa 4. Osisioma 5. Ugwunabo 6. Ukwa East 7. Ukwa West |
TABLE 5B: LGAs OF ANAMBRA STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL
ZONE |
LGAs | REMARKS |
| 1996 | Anambra | Anambra North | 1. Anambra East
2. Anambra West 3. Ayamelum 4. Ogbaru 5. Onitsha North 6. Onitsha South 7. Oyi |
· Anambra State was not one of the states that were divided when new states were created in Nigeria on 1 October 1996.But, as in other states in the country, new LGAs were created in the state.
· In 1991-96, there were fifteen LGAs in the state. Six of them were split into two each, raising the number of LGAs in the state to twenty-one. · Here are the LGAs that were split: ¨ Anambra: Anambra East and Anambra West. ¨ Idemili:Idemili North and Idemili South ¨ Ihiala: Ekwusigo andIhiala. ¨ Njikoka:Dunukofia and Njikoka. ¨ Onitsha:Onitsha North and Onitsha South. ¨ Oyi:Ayamelum and Oyi.
|
| Anambra Central | 1. Anaocha
2. Awka North 3. Awka South 4. Dunukofia 5. Idemili North 6. Idemili South 7. Njikoka |
|||
| Anambra South | 1. Aguata
2. Ekwusigo 3. Ihiala 4. Nnewi North 5. Nnewi South 6. Orumba North 7. Orumba South, |
TABLE 5C: LGAS OF THE IGBO-SPEAKING AREA OF DELTA STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
|
LGAs
|
REMARKS |
| 1996 | Delta | Delta North | 1. Aniocha North
2. Aniocha South 3. Ika North East 4. Ika South 5. Ndokwa East 6. Ndokwa West 7. Oshimili North 8. Oshimili South 9. Ukwuani
|
· Delta State was not one of the states that were divided when new states were created in Nigeria on 1 October 1996. But new LGAs were created in the state, as in other states.
· In 1989-91, there were seven LGAs in Delta North Senatorial Zone. Two more were created in October 1996, as follows: ¨ Ndokwa West:Ndokwa West and Ukwuani. ¨ Oshimili: Oshimili North and Oshimili South.
|
TABLE 5D: LGAs OF EBONYI STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL
ZONE |
LGAS | REMARKS |
| 1996 | Ebonyi | Ebonyi North | 1. Abakaliki
2. Ebonyi 3. Izzi 4. Ohaukwu |
· Ebonyi State was created on 1 October 1996. It is made up of the two Igbo-speaking divisions of the (colonial) Ogoja Province: Abakaliki and Afikpo. In 1976-1991, Afikpo Division (as Afikpo and Ohaozara LGAs in 1976-89) was a part of Imo State, and, in 1991-96, a part of Abia. On the other hand, Abakaliki Division (as Abakaliki, Ezza, Ikwo, Ishielu LGAs in 1976-89) was in (the old) Anambra State in 1976-1991 and in Enugu State in 1991-96. The creation of Ebonyi State reunited the Igbo-speaking divisions of the former Ogoja Province in one state.
· In 1989-91, there were ten LGAs in the areas (in both Abia and Enugu states) that were constituted into Ebonyi State in 1996. Three of them were split into two each in October 1996, as follows: ¨ Abakaliki:Abakaliki and Ebonyi. ¨ Ezza: Ezza North and Ezza South. ¨ Ohaozara: Ivo and Ohaozara. |
| Ebonyi Central | 1. Ezza North
2. Ezza South 3. Ikwo 4. Ishielu |
|||
| Ebonyi South | 1. Afikpo North
2. Afikpo South 3. Ivo 4. Ohaozara 5. Onicha |
TABLE 5E: LGAs OF ENUGU STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
|
LGAS
|
REMARKS |
| 1996 | Enugu | Enugu North | 1. Igbo-Etiti
2. Igbo-Eze North 3. Igbo-Eze South 4. Nsukka 5. Udenu 6. Uzo-Uwani |
· Ebonyi State was created on 1 October 1996, with 5 other states in the country. A greater part of the newly created state came from Enugu State. So the LGAs listed here are those that remained after Ebonyi State was created.New LGAs were also created in Enugu State in October 1996, as in all other states.
· There were thirteen LGAs in the area that remained as Enugu State after the creation of Ebonyi State. Four of them were divided into two each, raising the number of LGAs in the state to seventeen. Here is how: ¨ Awgu: Aninri and Awgu. ¨ Enugu North: Enugu East and Enugu North. ¨ IsiUzo: Isi Uzo and Udenu. ¨ Nkanu: Nkanu East and Nkanu West. |
| Enugu East | 1. Enugu East
2. Enugu North 3. Enugu South 4. Isi Uzo 5. Nkanu East 6. Nkanu West |
|||
| Enugu West | 1. Aninri
2. Awgu 3. Ezeagu 4. Oji River 5. Udi |
TABLE 5F: LGAs OF IMO STATE, SINCE 1996
| YEAR | STATE | SENATORIAL ZONES
|
LGAs
|
REMARKS |
| 1996 | Imo | Imo North | 1.Ehime Mbano
2. Ihite/Uboma 3. Isiala Mbano 4. Obowo 5. Okigwe 6. Onuimo |
· Imo State was not divided when new states were created in Nigeria on 1 October 1996. But new LGAs were created in the state, as in all other states.
· There were twenty-one LGAs in Imo State in 1991-96. Six more were created in October 1996, raising the number to twenty-seven. · Here are the LGAs that were split: ¨ Okigwe: Okigwe and Onuimo. ¨ Isu: Isu and Njaba. ¨ Nkwerre: Nkwerre and Nwangele. ¨ Oru: Oru East and Oru West. ¨ Owerri: Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and Owerri West.
|
| Imo East | 1. Aboh Mbase
2. Ahiazu Mbaise 3. Ezinihite 4. Ikeduru 5. Mbaitoli 6. Ngor Okpala 7. Owerri-Municipal 8. Owerri North 9. Owerri West |
|||
| Imo West | 1. Ideato North
2. Ideato South 3. Isu 4. Njaba 5. Nkwerre 6. Nwangele 7. Oguta 8. Ohaji/Egbema 9. Orlu 10.Oru East 11.Oru West 12.Orsu |
