### State Creation Was Meant to Bring Development Closer to the People - Not Turn Nigerians Against One Another

For many decades, Nigeria has operated a curious economic system in which virtually every state attempts to do virtually everything. Every state wants an airport. Every state wants an industrial park. Every state announces an agricultural programme. Every state establishes a ministry, agency or commission for almost every conceivable economic activity. Every state wants to become an investment destination. Every state wants to build its own version of what another state has built. And when the money is available, governments sometimes embark on projects not because the economic logic is compelling, but because another state has done something similar.  

The result is a country of **36 states often behaving as though they were 36 separate countries**, while remaining economically dependent on one another and, overwhelmingly, on the federal government. This is not what state creation was supposed to achieve. State creation was fundamentally intended to bring government closer to the people, improve administration, promote development, accommodate diversity and make governance more responsive. It was never supposed to turn geographical boundaries into walls around human beings. It was never supposed to make a Nigerian from one side of a state boundary feel like a stranger, an inferior person or an unwanted visitor on another side of the same national territory. Yet something has gone badly wrong. The economic consequences are visible. The social consequences are even more disturbing. ## THE UGLY SYSTEM BEHIND THE COMPETITION There is a deeper problem beneath Nigeria's obsession with every state doing everything. It is the way Nigerians have gradually been conditioned to understand themselves through **geographical compartments**. A person is not simply a Nigerian. He or she is first identified by state. Then by region. Then by ethnic group. Then sometimes by local government. Then by community. Then by village. Then, in some circumstances, by political affiliation, religion, language or other identity markers. These identities are not inherently bad. Indeed, they are part of Nigeria's extraordinary diversity. The problem begins when geographical and social identities become instruments for exclusion, discrimination, humiliation and competition. A boundary drawn on a map begins to determine who is considered "one of us" and who is considered "one of them." And once that mentality takes root, economic cooperation becomes difficult. Instead of asking: **"What can this state contribute to Nigeria?"** we begin asking: **"What can this state get from Nigeria?"** Instead of seeing another region's success as our success, we sometimes see it as a threat. Instead of celebrating another state's natural advantage, we begin looking for reasons to discredit it. Instead of building partnerships, we build rivalries. And instead of a national economy, we create economic islands. # STATE CREATION WAS NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR There is something fundamentally wrong with the idea that creating states means creating competing nationalities within one country. The state is an administrative unit. It is not a nationality. It is not a certificate of superiority. It is not a declaration that the people on one side of the boundary are better than those on the other side. The Constitution recognises Nigeria as one federation comprising states and the Federal Capital Territory. The purpose of that federal structure is to organise governance and promote the welfare of citizens—not to manufacture permanent hostility among Nigerians. The boundaries may be real administratively. They should not become walls in our minds. A refinery in Rivers State does not belong only to Rivers people. Oil palm in Imo State does not belong only to Imo people. Cocoa in Ogun State does not belong only to Ogun people. Rice from Kebbi does not belong only to Kebbi people. Coal, limestone, iron ore, gas, solid minerals, fisheries, livestock, technology, ports and human talent located in different parts of Nigeria should ultimately contribute to the prosperity of the entire federation. **Nigeria should function as an economic family.** # THE 36-STATE PARADOX Here is Nigeria's paradox. We have 36 states. But we do not have 36 independent economies. A state may generate revenue, produce food, manufacture goods and exploit resources, but its citizens still depend on products, services, skills and markets located elsewhere. Kano needs products from Lagos. Lagos needs food from the North. Aba needs raw materials from different parts of Nigeria. Northern farmers need machinery manufactured elsewhere. Factories need gas. Gas needs infrastructure. Manufacturers need consumers. Consumers need jobs. Workers need businesses. Businesses need electricity. Electricity requires investment. Investment needs security. Security needs functioning institutions. Everything is connected. The Nigerian economy therefore cannot be successfully divided into 36 economic silos. The prosperity of one state should create opportunities for another. That is what a federation is supposed to do. # THE HUMAN BEING IS THE BEST EXAMPLE Consider an ordinary human being. Every person has a unique combination of abilities. One person may be an excellent farmer. Another may be a brilliant engineer. Another may be a gifted teacher. Another may be a doctor. Another may be an entrepreneur. Another may be an artist. Another may be a mechanic. Another may be a programmer. Another may be a researcher. Another may be a skilled trader. No intelligent society expects every individual to possess every ability. We value one another precisely because **we are different**. Imagine a society in which every person decided to become a doctor because medicine is valuable. Who would build houses? Who would grow food? Who would repair machines? Who would teach children? Who would transport goods? Who would write software? Who would manufacture medicines? Society works because people specialise and exchange value. **Nations work the same way.**  

  # NIGERIA'S STATES ARE LIKE HUMAN BEINGS This is where Nigeria has failed to appreciate its own diversity. Every region has something. Every state has something. Every community has something. Every people have something. The question should not be: **"Which state is better?"** The question should be: **"What does this state have that Nigeria needs?"** That is a completely different way of thinking. A state blessed with fertile land should feed Nigeria. A state with manufacturing expertise should manufacture for Nigeria. A state with a seaport should facilitate Nigeria's international trade. A state with oil and gas should contribute energy and industrial feedstock. A state with exceptional tourism potential should welcome Nigerians and international visitors. A state with technology talent should build solutions for the entire country. A state with mineral resources should develop responsible value chains that benefit the federation and its people. This is not weakness. It is specialization. And specialization is the foundation of every successful modern economy. # WHY MUST EVERY STATE BUILD AN AIRPORT? Take the airport question. There is nothing wrong with an airport. Airports are important infrastructure. But the question should be: **Does every state need the same type of airport, serving the same purpose, at the same scale?** Perhaps not. Some states may need international airports. Some may need regional airports. Some may need cargo airports because of their agricultural production. Others may benefit more from improved roads and railways connecting them to existing airports. The same principle applies to seaports, industrial parks, stadiums, universities, hospitals and government agencies. Development is not about possessing everything. Development is about possessing what is necessary and being efficiently connected to everything else. # WHY MUST EVERY STATE HAVE AN INDUSTRIAL PARK? The same question should be asked about industrial parks. A government may establish an industrial park, build roads into it, erect administrative structures and commission the project with great ceremony. But what happens afterward? Where are the factories? Where is the electricity? Where are the raw materials? Where is the skilled workforce? Where is the market? Where is the logistics network? Where is the financing? Where is the export connection? An industrial park without an industrial ecosystem is simply an expensive piece of real estate. Nigeria should stop counting projects and start counting production. # THE SAME MISTAKE IS MADE WITH AGRICULTURE Almost every state has an agricultural programme. That sounds impressive. But agriculture is not simply about distributing seedlings, fertiliser or farm equipment. Agriculture becomes transformative when it is connected to: **land + water + farmers + finance + technology + storage + processing + transportation + markets.** If Benue produces tomatoes but has no processing capacity, much of the value disappears. If Kano produces cotton but does not have sufficient textile manufacturing, the raw material leaves the state, or the country, and the higher-value jobs are created elsewhere. If Imo produces oil palm but exports largely raw products, the greater economic opportunity remains unrealised. The answer is not for every state to build every factory. The answer is for states to identify their strongest value chains and connect them to industries elsewhere. # THE DANGEROUS CULTURE OF MOCKERY There is another dimension of Nigeria's fragmentation that economic blueprints alone cannot solve. It is the culture of regional and ethnic mockery. Over the years, Nigerians have developed numerous stereotypes and derogatory labels for one another. People from different regions have been subjected to insulting descriptions based on their accents, food, occupations, appearance, perceived intelligence, history, religion, political choices or ethnic identity. Terms such as **"Aboki," "Igbo," "Yoruba," "Calabar," "Ijaw," "Hausa," "Arewa," "Omo Iya," "Nyamiri," "Mumu," "Mallam,"** and countless other expressions can be used neutrally in one context but weaponised as insults in another. Some groups have been stereotyped as traders. Others as servants. Others as corrupt. Others as primitive. Others as criminals. Others as domineering. Others as lazy. Others as dishonest. Others as politically naïve. Others as unwilling to integrate. The list is long. The stereotypes are often contradictory. And that contradiction exposes the absurdity of the entire exercise. A people cannot be simultaneously described as inferior and feared as powerful. A group cannot be simultaneously called lazy and blamed for dominating commerce. A region cannot be dismissed as backward while its resources are eagerly consumed by the rest of the country. These stereotypes are not economic analysis. They are social weapons. And they have consequences. # THE HISTORY OF HATE IS OFTEN MANUFACTURED One of the saddest features of Nigerian identity politics is the way some people search backward through generations to justify present hatred. Someone may dislike an entire people because of something that happened before he or she was born. Another may inherit a grievance from parents. Another inherits it from grandparents. Another learns it from political propaganda. Eventually, an individual who has never personally suffered an injustice from another Nigerian develops hatred for that person because of an inherited narrative. Sometimes people who cannot explain precisely why they dislike another group will simply say: **"That is how they are."** But who taught us that? Who proved it? And why should an individual be judged by the alleged actions of millions of people he or she has never met? If we applied this logic consistently, no Nigerian would be safe from inherited hatred. Every group has historical grievances. Every region has memories of injustice. Every ethnic community has stories of discrimination. Every political generation has its wounds. If we continue digging backward for reasons to hate one another, we will eventually discover enough grievances to make peaceful coexistence impossible. At some point, a nation must decide that **the future is more important than inherited bitterness.** # MARGINALISATION AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-PRESERVATION There is also a more uncomfortable reality. Some parts of Nigeria have genuinely felt marginalised. Whether every claim of marginalisation is factually accurate is a matter for evidence and debate. But the feeling itself cannot simply be dismissed. When people repeatedly believe that their region receives less investment, less political recognition, fewer opportunities or inadequate representation, they begin to ask a dangerous question: **"If Nigeria will not give us an opportunity, why should we continue depending on Nigeria?"** That is where separatist sentiments and intense regional agitations can emerge. They do not appear from nowhere. They grow in an environment where people believe the national bargain is unfair. This is why Nigeria must take equality seriously. Not equality of natural resources. Not equality of geography. Not equality of population. But equality of **citizenship, dignity, opportunity and protection under the law.** Equal treatment does not mean every state receives the same amount of money. It means every Nigerian has a fair chance to participate in the national economy. # UNITY DOES NOT MEAN UNIFORMITY Nigeria does not need to make all its regions the same. That would be impossible and undesirable. Unity does not mean uniformity. A healthy federation allows differences to exist. The North can have enormous agricultural strength. The South can have major industrial and maritime strength. The Middle Belt can possess extraordinary food and mineral potential. The Niger Delta can remain a major energy and maritime hub. The South-East can build on entrepreneurship and manufacturing. The South-West can deepen technology, finance and services. The beauty lies in connecting these differences. **Difference should create exchange, not hatred.**  

  # IMAGINE IF WE MADE ONE ANOTHER RICHER Imagine a Nigeria in which the refinery in Port Harcourt operates efficiently and its products are transported to Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Enugu, Ibadan and every other part of the country. Imagine oil palm produced in Imo moving into processing plants that manufacture cooking oil, cosmetics, soap, industrial products and other derivatives for Nigerians and international markets. Imagine cocoa from Ogun State being transformed into chocolate, beverages, cosmetics and other products that employ people throughout Nigeria. Imagine rice from Kebbi reaching consumers in Lagos. Imagine machinery from the South reaching farmers in the North. Imagine leather from northern livestock supporting footwear and leather manufacturing in Aba and other industrial centres. Imagine gas from the Niger Delta powering factories across the country. Imagine Nigerian technology companies in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Jos providing digital services to farmers in every state. That is what **one Nigeria with many strengths** should look like. # WHEN ONE STATE SUCCEEDS, NIGERIA SHOULD SUCCEED A Nigerian should not ask: **"What has my state gained?"** before asking: **"What has Nigeria gained?"** If a factory opens in Ogun, Nigerians in Kano should celebrate because the factory creates products, jobs, taxes and markets. If a refinery operates in Rivers, Nigerians in Kaduna should benefit from the fuel. If agriculture flourishes in Benue, Lagos should benefit from affordable food. If technology thrives in Lagos, Bauchi should benefit from digital solutions. If tourism expands in Cross River, Kano and Imo should benefit from the visitors and businesses it attracts. This is what national economic integration means. # FROM 36 COMPETITORS TO 36 CONTRIBUTORS The 36 states should not be 36 competitors fighting for the same investors, the same factories and the same federal projects. They should be **36 contributors to one national economic system.** That means each state asking: **What are we exceptionally good at?** **What can we produce competitively?** **What can we process?** **What can we export?** **What does the rest of Nigeria need from us?** **What do we need from other Nigerians?** Once those questions are answered, the economic map begins to change. State creation then becomes what it was intended to be: a mechanism for bringing development closer to people. Not a mechanism for creating artificial enemies. # THE BLUEPRINT IS SIMPLE, BUT THE POLITICAL WILL IS NOT Nigeria does not need every state to have everything. Nigeria needs every state to have **something valuable**. And it needs the roads, railways, electricity, financial systems, security, institutions and national policies required to exchange those values. That is the economic blueprint. It is not about North versus South. It is not about East versus West. It is not about one ethnic group against another. It is not about which region is superior. It is about recognising that **Nigeria is too diverse to be economically uniform and too interconnected to be economically divided.** Our diversity is not the problem. Our failure to organise our diversity into productive cooperation is the problem.     # THE NIGERIA WE SHOULD BUILD A great Nigeria will not emerge because every state builds the same things. It will emerge because every state develops its strongest assets and makes them available to the national economy. The farmer in Kebbi should not need to become a manufacturer. The manufacturer in Aba should not need to become a farmer. The engineer in Lagos should not need to own a mine. The entrepreneur in Kano should not need to own a seaport. They need one another. That is the whole point. **Human beings need one another because no individual possesses everything.** States need one another for exactly the same reason. And Nigeria needs all of its states for exactly the same reason. Let Rivers refine. Let Imo grow and process oil palm. Let Ogun produce and process cocoa. Let Benue feed. Let Kano manufacture. Let Aba innovate. Let Lagos finance and connect. Let the Niger Delta power industry. Let the North produce livestock, grains and other agricultural products. Let the Middle Belt supply food and raw materials. Let every state discover its strength. Then let every Nigerian benefit from it. The refinery in Port Harcourt should belong economically to Nigeria. The oil palm of Imo should feed Nigerian industry. The cocoa of Ogun should create Nigerian wealth. The factories of Aba should serve Nigerians. The food of Benue should feed Lagos. The technology of Lagos should empower Kano. The gas of the Niger Delta should power factories everywhere. **That is what having all things in common should mean in a modern federation.** Not that everybody owns everything. But that **everybody has a stake in what everybody produces.** When that happens, the incentive to fight over geographical boundaries will diminish. When opportunity becomes more evenly distributed, marginalisation will lose some of its fuel. When citizens see another region's prosperity as their own prosperity, insults will become less attractive. When a Nigerian knows that another Nigerian's success creates an opportunity for him, hatred becomes economically irrational. And when the people of Nigeria finally understand that our differences are not liabilities but complementary strengths, many of the agitations that have consumed our national energy will begin to lose their power. Nigeria does not need 36 states trying to become 36 versions of Nigeria. **Nigeria needs 36 states helping to build one Nigeria.** The future is not in competition between our parts. **The future is in the intelligent cooperation of our differences.** That is how the refinery in Port Harcourt becomes prosperity in Kano. That is how the oil palm of Imo becomes wealth in Lagos. That is how the cocoa of Ogun becomes opportunity in Kaduna. That is how the food of Benue becomes affordable meals in Abuja. That is how the factories of Aba become exports from Lagos. And that is how 36 states cease to be 36 economic projects competing for survival and become **36 engines powering one national economy.** **Nigeria's greatest economic advantage may not be what any one state possesses.** **It may be what all the states can accomplish when they finally learn to need one another.**