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How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by AbdulAdam56(m): 4:45pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
Abia Abia is an acronym derived from the name of the four main groups of people in the state as at the time it was formed in 1991: Aba Bende Isuikwuato and Afikpo Adamawa This state was named after a warrior that conquered the region in the begining of the 19th century. His name was Modibbo Adama Bin Ardo Hassan. Akwa-Ibom Akwa Ibom is named after a river, the Qua Iboe (or Kwa Iboe) River Anambra It was derived from the name of the Oma Mbala (Omambala) River (in Ibo, the native name of the river is Ànyịm Ọma Mbala). Bauchi There are three versions of how Bauchi got its name. One version says 'Bauchi' is 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. According to the second version the state was named for Baushe, a famous hunter who settled there before the 19th century while the third states that 'bauchi' is Hausa word for slavery since it was a center for slave raiders. Bayelsa Bayelsa was formed as a result of the clamour from the three LGAs in old Rivers (Brass LGA known as BALGA, Yenegoa LGA known as YELGA and Sagbama LGA - SALGA). The name came about from the combination of their acronymns. BA + YEL + SA = BAYELSA Benue It is a word from the Batta language 'Binuwe' which means 'Mother of Waters'. Borno The name was derived from 'Borno', an alternative name of the Kanuris who form the predominant ethnic group in the state. Cross River The state took its name from a River called Oyono or Cross River Delta It was named for the delta of the River Niger formed as it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Ebonyi The state was named after the Aboine River that cuts through Abakaliki, the state capital. Edo Named after the Bini people who had always referred to themselves as Edo or Iduu. Ekiti 'Ekiti' is a term that is said to denote a settlement of many hills. Enugu Enugu derived its name from two local words enu ugwu which means 'top of the hill' Gombe Named after the dialect of Fulani language (Fulfulde)spoken in the area 'Gombe'. Imo This state is named after the Imo River (Mmiri Imo) Jigawa The state was named after its distinctively golden-colouredsoil, Jigawa. Kaduna The state after the crocodiles in Kaduna River. Kadunas is Hausa plural word for crocodiles Kano The state was named after a blacksmith of the Gaya tribe who settled in the area while sourcing for ironstone. His name is Kano. Katsina Katsina was named after the wife of the local ruler known as Janzama. Her name was Katsina. Kebbi Legend has it that Kebbi was named after the Ka'abba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Kogi The name Kogi was said to have be derived from 'kogin', hausa for river. This is to represent the fact that the two biggest Rivers in Nigeria, River Niger and River Benue form a confluence in the state. Kwara This was named after the River Niger which forms the Northern border of the state. The Nupes used to call the river Kwara. Lagos The name is a Portuguese word for lakes. The Portuguese were the first set of Europeans to reach Lagos in 1472. The name was inspired by the lagoons and rivers in Lagos. Nassarawa It was so named by the founder of Nasarawa kingdom, Makama Dogo. Nasarawa means Victorious. Niger Named after the popular River Niger. Ogun Named after the Ogun River Ondo This was named after the settlers of the old Ondo Kingdom. Ondo is a word for settlers. Osun Like a number of other Nigerian states, it was also named after a river; River Osun. Oyo It was named after the Old Oyo empire. Plateau The state was named for the Jos Plateau Rivers A state with many water bodies, Rivers State was named for many of the rivers present in the area Sokoto Named after the defunct Sokoto Caliphate. Sokoto is the anglicized version of the Arabic word 'suk' which means 'market' or 'place of commerce'. Taraba The state was named after the Taraba River. Yobe The state was named after Komadugu Yobe (Waube or Ouobe) or River Yobe (or River of Yo). Zamfara Zamfarawa is one of the subdialects of Eastern Hausa linguistic group and that is where the name came from. |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by Mockinbird: 5:02pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
Over 80% of the states was named after rivers. No wonder Luggard's wife name the whole geographical piece "Nigeria" after river Niger. What happened to those beautiful names like Paris, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Chicago, L.A, etc? Why abia, sokoto, anambra, rivers, borno, kogi, ogun, ekiti, imo etc why?! "Nigeria is a zoo, i have never seen a country named after a river" ~Nnamdi Kanu. 1 Like |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by Tunechi1(m): 5:03pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
Nice one Mockinbird:abeg make una stop dis tin nau haba must everytin turn to fight |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by einst3in: 5:10pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
Educating piece. How come most of the state's were named after rivers |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by sammyj: 5:38pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
Why does anything Nigeria and almost all the state associated with river or does it implies we are associated with water spirit!!! |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by Soreza(m): 5:42pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
THE NAME NIGERIA IS A SHAME, NAMED BY THE WHITE HARLOT, FORMED AND AMALGAMATED BY THE WHITE BRITISH COLONIAL POWERS AND HANDLE OVER TO SLAVES, OUR FATHERS DID NOTHING, FORMED NOTHING,SO IF I SEE ANYBODY SAYING TO SERVE OUR FATHER'S LAND I LOOK AT HIM OR HER LIKE AN IGNORANT FOOL. THE GREATEST. |
Re: How The 36 Nigerian States Derived Their Names by Khd95(m): 6:21pm On Aug 14, 2016 |
What of jalingo,dutse,jigawa and the rest |
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