Twelve States creation is a known achievement of the ... regime

Analyze the question: It asks which regime is known for creating twelve states in Nigeria.

Concept: Nigeria's states were created in stages by different governments:

• 1963: Mid-Western Region was created, making four regions (First Republic).
• 1967: General Yakubu Gowon created 12 states on 27 May 1967. This replaced the four regions (North, East, West, Mid-West).
• 1976: Murtala Mohammed's regime created 7 more states, making 19.
• 1987: Babangida created Akwa Ibom and Katsina (21 states), then in 1991 created 9 more (30 states).
• 1996: Abacha created 6 more, making 36 states.

Solution:

• Abdulsalam Abubakar (1998-1999) did not create any states. He handed over to civilians.
• Babangida created 11 states in total across two exercises (2 in 1987 and 9 in 1991).
• Gowon created 12 states in 1967, just before the civil war. This was partly to break the dominance of the old regions and to win minority support in the East.
• Murtala Mohammed created 7 states in 1976.

Answer: The twelve-state creation was the work of Yakubu Gowon's regime, which is option C.

Tip: Remember the sequence of state numbers with the leaders: Gowon 12, Murtala 19, Babangida 21 then 30, Abacha 36. A quick way to recall it is "12-19-21-30-36". Also, Gowon's 12 states came in 1967 and are linked to the start of the civil war.