How The 36 States Of Nigeria Got Their Names

1. Abia

Abia is an acronym for the four main groups of people in the state at the time it was formed in 1991: Aba Bende Isuikwuato Afikpo.

2. Adamawa

Adamawa was named after a warrior, Modibbo Adama Bin Ardo Hassan, who conquered the region at the beginning of the 19th century.

3. Akwa Ibom

Akwa Ibom is named after the Qua Iboe (or Kwa Iboe) River.

4. Anambra

The state got its name from the corrupted version of Oma Mbala (Ànyịm Ọma Mbala), a popular river in the area.

5. Bauchi

‘Bauchi’ is an Hausa word meaning the southern flanks of Hausaland. Tribes living in the southern parts of the Hausaland were referred to as “kasashen bauchi” and the area they lived in later came to be known simply as Bauchi.

6. Bayelsa

Bayelsa is a combination of the acronyms of three local government areas which were pulled out of old Rivers state — Brass LGA known as BALGA, Yenegoa LGA known as YELGA and Sagbama LGA known as SALGA. In the formation of their names is BA + YEL + SA.

7. Benue

The state was named after the “Europeanised” corruption of ‘Binuwe’, the Batta word for ‘Mother of Waters’.

8. Borno

The alternative name of the Kanuris, the predominant ethnic group in the state, is ‘Borno’ which gave inspiration for the naming of the state.

9. Cross River

The state took its name from a River called Oyono or Cross River.

10. Delta

The state is where the River Niger forms a delta as it enters the Atlantic Ocean.

11. Ebonyi

Ebonyi is the anglicised version of ‘Aboine’, a river that cuts through Abakaliki, the state capital.

12. Edo

The Bini people who dwell in the area have always referred to themselves as Edo or Iduu. This inspired the name of the state.

13. Ekiti

‘Okiti’ is a term that is said to denote a settlement of many hills. It later became ‘Ekiti’.

14. Enugu

Due to the many hills and rocky terrain in the area, the people named it in Igbo, “Enu Ugwu” meaning “top of the hill”. The state is named after the anglicised version, Enugu.

15. Gombe

Gombe is the dialect of the Fulani language (Fulfulde) spoken in the area.

16. Imo

Just like many of the Nigerian states, Imo took its name from the popular river, Imo Mmiri.

17. Jigawa

Jigawa takes inspiration from its distinctively golden-coloured soil.

18. Kaduna

‘Kadunas’ is the plural form of crocodile in Hausa. The state therefore got its name from the many crocodiles in the Kaduna River.

19. Kano

Kano was the name of a blacksmith from the Gaya tribe who settled in the area while sourcing for ironstone. The state was named after him.

20. Katsina

The state was named after the wife of a popular local ruler known as Janzama. Her name was Katsina.

21. Kebbi

It is said that Kebbi was named after the Ka’abba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

22. Kogi

Since the popular confluence in Nigeria is located in the state, Kogi is said to have been derived from ‘kogin’, the hausa word for river.

23. Kwara

River Niger used to be called River Kwara by the Nupes at the Northern border of the state. The state was named after this.

24. Lagos

In 1472, the first set of Europeans to set foot in Lagos were the Portuguese. Due to the many lagoons and rivers in the town, they named it Lagos, which is the Portuguese word for ‘lakes’.

25. Nasarawa

Nasarawa is a native word for ‘victorious’. The state was named after the founder of Nasarawa kingdom, Makama Dogo.

26. Niger

This was named after the River Niger.

27. Ogun

This state was also named after a river — the Ogun River.

28. Ondo

Ondo is a word used for settlers. The state was named after the settlers of the old Ondo Kingdom.

29. Osun

This state was also named after a river — the River Osun.

30. Oyo

The state was named after the Old Oyo Empire.

31. Plateau

The state was named after the picturesque Jos plateau. Jos got its name from the mispronunciation of the town ‘Gwosh’.

32. Rivers

Rivers State was named after the many water bodies present in the area.

33. Sokoto

Sokoto is the anglicized version of the Arabic word ‘suk’ meaning ‘market’ or ‘place of commerce’. The state itself was named after the defunct Sokoto Caliphate.

34. Taraba

Taraba state got its name from the Taraba River.

35. Yobe

Komadugu Yobe (Waube or Ouobe) or River Yobe (or River of Yo) inspired the name of the state.

36. Zamfara

This state was named after Zamfarawa, one of the subdialects of the Eastern Hausa group.

FCT, Abuja

Abuja was derived from the name Abubakar-JA, a very prominent man who resided in the city called Abuja now. However, because Abubakar is abbreviated as “Abu” in the Hausa language over time the name Abubakar-Ja was abbreviated to ABUJA.

Credit: Nigeria Stories