Six states added to create thirty-six-state federation

On October 1, 1996, General Sani Abacha announced the creation of six new states during Nigeria's Independence Day celebrations, bringing the total from thirty to thirty-six states. The new states were Bayelsa (carved from Rivers), Ebonyi (from Enugu and Abia), Ekiti (from Ondo), Gombe (from Bauchi), Nasarawa (from Plateau), and Zamfara (from Sokoto). This marked the fifth major state creation exercise since independence and the largest single addition since 1991.

The creation followed years of agitation from various communities seeking their own states for better representation and resource allocation. Oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta had particularly pressed for Bayelsa State to gain direct access to federal revenue allocations. Other groups cited marginalization within existing state structures and desired administrative headquarters closer to their populations. Abacha's military government, facing legitimacy challenges, used state creation as a tool to build political support while appearing responsive to grassroots demands.