1967 — Gowon's Twelve-State Gamble

On May 27, 1967, Nigeria's head of state Yakubu Gowon announced Decree No. 14, splitting the country's four regions into twelve states. It was a political masterstroke aimed at breaking Ojukwu's Eastern Region, which was cut off from its oil-rich coastline by the new boundaries drawn across the map of the federation that day.

Instead of preventing war, the move made secession feel inevitable. Three days later, Ojukwu proclaimed the Republic of Biafra, and Africa's bloodiest civil war began. A decree meant to hold Nigeria together by dividing it differently had instead convinced the East that there was nothing left to hold on to within it.