36 states in Nigeria and their origins

Nigeria popularly known as the Giant of Africa has a total of 36 states in the country and these states have origins.

Coutesy of @NigeriaStories, Mynigeria.com brings to you how the 36 states were originated.

1. Abia

Aba Bende Isuikwuato Afikpo were the main groups of people in Abia as at the time the state was formed. It was formed in 1991 using the initials of these four main groups to form the state.

2. Adamawa

In the beginning of the 19th century, a warrior named Modibbo Adama Bin Ardo Hassan conquered the state and it was named after him.

3. Akwa Ibom

This state was named after the Qua Iboe (or Kwa Iboe) River.

4. Anambra

Anambra got its name from the corrupt version of Oma Mbala (Àny?m ?ma Mbala), a popular river in the area.

5. Bauchi

'Bauchi’ is Hausa word which means the southern flanks of Hausaland. The tribes that inhabited the southern parts of the Hausaland were referred to as "kasashen bauchi" and this is where the state got its name from.

6. Bayelsa

This name of this state 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

Benue was named after the europeanised version of 'Binuwe', the Batta word for ‘Mother of Waters’.

8. Borno

The predominant ethnic group in the state is Borno and that is where the state got its name from.

9. Cross River

The south south 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 state got its name from the Bini people, the inhabitants of the area who had always referred to themselves as Edo or Iduu.

13. Ekiti

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

14. Enugu

The state got its name from the anglicised version of Enu Ugwu, meaning top of the hill.

15. Gombe

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

16. Imo

The state took its names from the popular river called 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 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 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 in the earlier 20th century the name of the nearby town now called Suleja.

The indigenous inhabitants of Abuja are the Gbagyi (Gwari), with the Gbagyi language formerly the major of the region language