In February 1976, General Murtala Mohammed created 7 new states to deepen federalism and accelerate development:
Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Imo, Niger, Ogun, and Ondo.
Fifty years later, the results are mixed — and for many, deeply disappointing.
- BAUCHI STATE (Created 1976)
Region: North-East
Population: ~8 million
Poverty rate: ~56–60% (NBS Multidimensional Poverty Index)
IGR: Below ₦25bn annually
Economy heavily dependent on FAAC allocations.
Historic reality:
Despite agriculture, solid minerals, and tourism sites like Yankari, Bauchi failed to industrialize.
Manufacturing contribution to GDP remains minimal.
50 years later:
No major industrial hub.
Youth unemployment remains high.
The capital city still lacks modern infrastructure.
Development outcome: Poor relative to age and potential.
- BENUE STATE (1976)
Nickname: Food Basket of the Nation.
Poverty rate: ~50–55%
IGR: ₦20–25bn
One of the lowest per-capita incomes in North-Central Nigeria.
Historic irony:
Benue produces massive agricultural output but exports raw produce, not processed goods.
50 years later:
No large agro-processing industrial cluster.
Salary arrears are common.
Farmers remain poor.
A food basket that feeds others but starves economically.
- BORNO STATE (1976)
Region: North-East.
Poverty rate: Above 70%.
IGR: Under ₦15bn.
Economy devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Historic tragedy:
Once a major Sahelian trade route hub linking Nigeria to Chad and Niger.
50 years later:
Infrastructure destroyed.
Heavy humanitarian dependence.
Private investment is almost absent.
Security failure reversed decades of development.
Insecurity is created by Northern leaders who love power more than progress.
- IMO STATE (1976)
Region: South-East.
Poverty rate: ~30–35% (lower than national average but rising).
IGR: ₦35–45bn (low for a commercial Igbo state).
Historic contradiction:
High literacy, entrepreneurship, diaspora remittances — but weak state planning.
50 years later:
No strong industrial policy.
Businesses migrate to Lagos.
Insecurity cripples investment.
Human capital is wasted by governance failure.
- NIGER STATE (1976)
Largest state by land mass.
Poverty rate: ~62%.
IGR: ₦20bn or less.
Hosts major dams: Kainji, Shiroro, Jebba.
Historic failure:.
Produces electricity but remains energy-poor.
50 years later:
No energy-driven industrialization.
Massive rural poverty.
Weak urban centers.
Power without prosperity.
- OGUN STATE (1976).
Region: South-West
Poverty rate: ~20–25%
IGR: ₦80–100bn+
Major manufacturing base.
But poor infrastructure.
No good roads.
Historic success:
Leveraged proximity to Lagos for industry and logistics.
Which is just a spillover not a product of intentional policy governance.
50 years later:
One of the best-performing 1976 states in terms of attraction to investments.
Industrial parks, factories, logistics hubs.
But still has poor roads and infrastructure.
- ONDO STATE (1976)
Region: South-West
Poverty rate: ~30–35%
IGR: ₦30–40bn
Oil-producing but poorly diversified.
Historic mistake:
Oil revenues are not converted into long-term industrial assets.
50 years later:
Weak private sector.
Youth migration.
Underdeveloped coastal economy.
Resource-rich, cash-poor.
In conclusion..
Out of 7 states created 50 years ago:
Only Ogun clearly escaped dependency.
And that is because of a spillover of investments from Lagos.
Not because of intentional policy governance.
Their Governors have been irresponsible.
The rest still survive on Abuja allocations.
Poverty remains structural, not accidental.
State creation did not create development.
Leadership, planning, and accountability did.
If we don’t admit this truth, the next 50 years will be another anniversary without progress.
Ugoji Maximillian speaker, Author, Entrepreneur and believer in the beauty that’s in humanity.
