Currently, there are six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. And all those zones are made up of several states, which you’ll soon find out.
Nigeria is a large and highly populated nation. It is, in fact, the most populated country on the African continent.
Owing to that fact, there’s became a need for division or classification of the 36 states in Nigeria, so to say.
And the person responsible for carrying out the classification of the 36 states in Nigeria into Geopolitical zones was Nigeria’s former Head of State, Late General Sani Abacha.
The 400 ethnic groups and over 450+ languages were put into consideration during the classification of the states. In other words, states with common heritage, history, culture and languages were classified under the same geopolitical zones. Which means, location had a very small role to play in the classification.
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Geopolitical zones in Nigeria
As it stands now, the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria are:
- North East
- North West
- North Central
- South South
- South East
- South West
Zones and their states
North Central
The notable languages in the north-central are Mangu, Birom, Nupe, Igala, Ebira, Tiv, Yoruba, among others.
The states and locations within the North central are:
The north central is alternatively called the middle-belt by most people.
North East
The northeastern part of Nigeria is dominated by the following tribes: Fulani, Fulfulde, Babur, Kanuri, among others.
It is made up of the following states:
North West
Major cities situated in the North West are Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, among others. The zone is predominantly dominated by the Hausa Fulani, Baju, Jaba, among a host of other tribes.
The states located in the North West are:
South East
South Eastern Nigeria is home to the Igbos, which comprises of about 5 states among the 36 states in Nigeria.
They are:
South South
The South South is the most oil rich geopolitical zone in Nigeria. It is dominated by the the Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Itsekiri tribes, among others.
States in the South South are:
South West
South West is a geopolitical zone in Nigeria where the Yoruba tribe is predominant. It is made up of the following states: