BREAKING: At Beginning Of Gowon’s Admin, Eastern Region Was Broken Into Cross River, Anambra And Rivers – Asiodu

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Elder statesman and former federal permanent secretary, Philip Asiodu, has reflected on the restructuring of Nigeria’s regional system under the administration of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, describing how the country’s regions were divided into new states at the beginning of military rule.

Asiodu made the remarks during an interview on The Legacy Series, where he spoke about the political developments that shaped Nigeria during the late 1960s, particularly under Gowon’s administration following the military coups and the tensions that later culminated in the Nigerian Civil War.

According to him, the restructuring policy introduced by Gowon significantly altered the regional arrangement that existed before military intervention. He explained that the old Eastern and Western regions were broken into several states as part of efforts to reorganize the federation and address concerns over ethnic domination and governance.

“At the beginning of Gowon’s administration, Eastern region was broken into, Cross River, Anambra and Rivers. And western side into Lagos State, Western States and Midwest,” Asiodu said during the interview.

The elder statesman’s comments revisited one of the most significant political decisions of the Gowon era, when the military government announced the creation of 12 states in 1967.