Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
is a
federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
of 36 states and 1 federal capital territory. Each of the 36 states is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as enumerated under the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is the capital territory of Nigeria, and it is in this territory that the capital city of
Abuja is located. The FCT is not a state but is administered by elected officials who are supervised by the federal government. Each state is subdivided into
local government areas (LGAs). There are 774 local governments in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Under the constitution, the 36 states are co-equal but not supreme because
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
resides with the federal government. The constitution can be amended by the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
, but each amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation.
Current states and the Federal Capital Territory
Evolution of Nigerian states
Government
States of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
have the right to organize and structure their individual governments in any way within the parameters set by the
Constitution of Nigeria
The Constitution of Nigeria is the written supreme law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria has had many constitutions. Its current form was enacted on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated the Fourth Nigerian Republic.
History
Nigeria's str ...
.
Legislature
At the state level, the legislature is
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
, with the number of its members equal to three times the number of legislators it has in the
Federal House of Representatives. It has the power to legislate on matters on the concurrent list.
Executive
At the state level, the head of the executive is the governor, who has the power to appoint people to the state executive council, subject to the advice and consent of the state house of assembly (legislature). The head of a ministry at the state level is the commissioner, who is assisted by a permanent secretary, who is also a senior civil servant of the state.
Judiciary
The judiciary is one of the co-equal arms of the state government concerned with the interpretation of the laws of the state government. The judiciary is headed by the chief justice of the state appointed by the governor subject to the approval of the state house of assembly.
Chronology
See also
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List of Nigerian states by population
The following the tabal presents a listing of Nigeria's 36 states ranked in order of their total population based on the 2006 Census figures, as well as their 2019 projected populations, which were published by the National Bureau of Statistics ...
*
ISO 3166-2:NG
*
List of state governors of Nigeria
The following table presents a list of Nigeria's state governors. Governors are elected for a term of four years (maximum of two terms). A minister appointed by the president oversees affairs in the Federal Capital Territory.
Eligibility
Citizen ...
Notes
Sources
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External links
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Headline News in Nigeria States
States And Capital In Nigeria, Their Slogans & Current GovernorsA comprehensive list of all states in Nigeria and their current governors.
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of African countries
Subdivisions of Nigeria
States
Nigeria 1
States, Nigeria
Nigeria geography-related lists