American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

 One of the lasting legacies of military rule in Nigeria is the creation of states. This started in 1967 when Yakubu Gowon, the then military Head of State (1967-1975) created twelve states to replace the existing regional arrangement. Almost every subsequent military regime has latched on this precedent to create states, the last being that of General Sani Abacha. In all, political, more than any other consideration informed the creation of states. All the exercises in state creation have also reflected and sustained the numerical dominance of the former northern region over the former eastern and western regions. Using primary and secondary sources in its methodology, this paper historicises state creation in Nigeria and concludes that state creation by military Heads of State since 1967 achieved the prime objective of political, economic and numerical domination of the south by the north. This translates to allocation of enormously higher resources to the north than the south which generates most of the national resources. The paper opines that restructuring the Nigerian state could be a lasting elixir to the ill feelings among ethnic minorities in the country.