Rivers State: The Struggle for its Creation and its Aftermath

Saturday, the 27th of May, 1967, represents a significant milestone in the history of Nigeria. On that day, General Yakubu Gowon, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, had proclaimed a structural change in the geopolitical configuration of Nigeria. He announced the creation of twelve states to replace the four existing regions of which Nigeria had been composed. Of the twelve states that were created, Rivers State epitomized the fulfilment of a longstanding struggle that predated the creation of the state by nearly three decades. This treatise shall therefore be a concise narrative of the nature of the struggle for the creation of Rivers State. In it, we shall explain the dynamics of the struggle for self-determination of the River’s people based on the geopolitical and economic conditions that were prevalent at the time. In doing so, we shall highlight the various movements that worked towards the actualization of the state, and emphasize the aftermath of its creation expressed in, amongst other consequences, the birth of another related state named Bayelsa, with the prospect of more states to be created in the future.