A lot of Nigerians have no clue how most Nigerian
states got their names and i was in this category
until i read through.
Did you know that most Nigerian states were
named after Rivers?Na wah!




1. 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: A ba
Bende Isuikwuato A fikpo





2. ADAMAWA:
This state was named after a warrior that
conquered the region in the beginning of the 19th
century. His name was Modibbo Adama Bin
Ardo Hassan.





3. AKWA–IBOM:
Akwa Ibom is named after a river, the Qua Iboe
(or Kwa Iboe) River.






4. ANAMBARA:
It was derived from the name of the Oma Mbal
(Omambala)River (in Ibo, the native name of the
river is Ànyịm Ọma Mbala).





5. BAUCHI:
There are three versions of how Bauchi got its
name. One version says ‘Bauchi’ is Hausa word
meaning the southern planks of Hausa land.
Tribes living in the southern parts of the Hausa
land 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.





6. BAYELSA:
Bayelsa was formed as a result of the clamour
from the three LGAs in old River (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.





7. BENUE:
It is a word from the Batta language ‘Binuwe’
which means ‘Mother of Waters’.





8. BORNO:
The name was derived from ‘Borno’, an alternative
name of the Kanuris who form the predominant
ethnic group in the state.




9. CROSS RIVER:
The state took its name from a River called Oyono
or Cross River.





10. DELTA:
It was named from the delta of the River Niger
which formed as it enters the Atlantic Ocean.





11. EBONYI:
The state was named after the Aboine River that
cuts through Abakaliki, the state capital.




12. EDO:
Named after the Bini people who had always
referred to themselves as Edo or Iduu.





13. EKITI:
‘Ekiti’ is a term that is said to denote a settlement
of many hills “Okiti”





14. ENUGU:
Enugu derived its name from two local words enu
ugwu which means ‘top of the hill’.





15. GOMBE:
Named after the dialect of Fulani language
(Fulfulde)spoken in the area ‘Gombe’.





16. IMO:
This state is named after the Imo River (Imo
Mmiri).





17. JIGAWA:
The state was named after its distinctively golden-
coloured soil, Jigawa.




18. KADUNA:
The state after the crocodiles in Kaduna River.
Kadunas is Hausa plural word for crocodiles.





19. KANO:
The state was named after a blacksmith of the
Gaya tribe
who settled in the area while sourcing for iron
stone. His name was Kano.





20. KATSINA:
Katsina was named after the wife of the local ruler
known as Janzama. Her name was Katsina.





21. KEBBI:
Legend has it that Kebbi was named after the
Ka’abba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.





22. 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.





23. KWARA:
This was named after the River Niger which forms
the Northern border of the state. The Nupes used
to call the river Kwara.





25. 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.





26. NASARAWA:
It was so named by the founder of Nasarawa
kingdom,Makama Dogo.
Nasarawa means Victorious.





27. NIGER:
Named after the popular River Niger.





28. OGUN:
Named after the Ogun River.





28. ONDO:
This was named after the settlers of the old Ondo
Kingdom.Ondo is a word for settlers.





29. OSUN:
Like a number of other Nigerian states, it was also
named after a river; River Osun.





30. OYO:
It was named after the Old Oyo empire.





31. PLATEAU:
The state was named for the Jos Plateau.





32. RIVERS:
A state with many water bodies, Rivers State was
named for
many of the rivers present in the area.





33. SOKOTO:
Named after the defunct Sokoto Caliphate. Sokoto
is the anglicized version of the Arabic word ‘suk’
which means ‘market’ or ‘place of commerce’. Or
“assukuut” which means “silence” in Arabic.





34. TARABA:
The state was named after the Taraba River.





35. YOBE:
The state was named after Komadugu Yobe
(Waube or Ouobe) or River Yobe (or River of Yo).





36. ZAMFARA:
Zamfarawa is one of the sub dialects of Eastern
Hausa linguistic group and that is where the name
came from zan- fara noma
by INFORMATION NIGERIA





www.stelladimokokorkus.com/2016/08/nigerias-36-states-and-origin-of-their.html?m=1

Educative

And Flora Shaw called the potpourri of tribes/states Nigeria.

I believe she believed in d adage
"Variety is the spice of life"

Niger + ia = Niger + Area.
Name gotten from Niger River.

AKWA–IBOM:
Akwa Ibom is named after the Almighty God meaning Akwa Abasi Ibom,not after a qua iboe river