LIST OF REASONS

INTRO : Since 1967, the federating units of the Nigeria federation became known as the “states,” following the creation of the 12 states by General Yakubu Gowon. Prior to that, the federating units were called regions, especially since the Richards Constitution of 1946 that introduced regionalism in Nigeria. The regions were 3 in number originally until 1963 when the Mid-Western region was carved out of the Western Region. During the era of regionalism, there were agitations for separate administrative entities (states) by the minority ethnic nationalities who were being marginalized or so they felt, by the big three ethnic groups: Hausa (Northern Region), Igbo (Eastern Region), Yoruba (Western Region). Prior to independence, in 1957, this had necessitated the Henry Willink Commission tasked with ascertaining the facts about the fears of minorities in any part of Nigeria in order to propose means of allaying those fears, whether well or ill founded. The Commission in their reports refu...