Aka Ekene
How Well Do You Know Your State? : PART II
A Story Of How The 36 State Of Nigeria & Abuja Got Their Names.
I know you enjoyed the prequel, Here’s the sequel
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 by 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 — 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 gotten from the name Abubakar-JA a very prominent man that 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 abbreviate to ABUJA.
