History: How The 36 Nigerian States Got Their Names and Abuja

Here is a list of the origins of the names of Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory:

1. Abia: An acronym from the four main groups of people in the state at the time it was formed in 1991: Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato, and Afikpo.
2. Adamawa: Named after a warrior, Modibbo Adama Bin Ardo Hassan, who conquered the region in the early 19th century.
3. Akwa Ibom: Named after the Qua Iboe (or Kwa Iboe) River.
4. Anambra: Derived from the corrupted version of Oma Mbala (Ànyịm Ọma Mbala), a popular river in the area.
5. Bauchi: A Hausa word meaning the southern flanks of Hausaland; the area came to be known as Bauchi.
6. Bayelsa: A combination of the acronyms of three local government areas—Brass (BALGA), Yenagoa (YELGA), and Sagbama (SALGA).
7. Benue: Named after the “Europeanised” corruption of ‘Binuwe’, the Batta word for ‘Mother of Waters’.
8. Borno: Named after the Kanuris, the predominant ethnic group in the state, who are also known as ‘Borno’.
9. Cross River: Named after the Oyono or Cross River.
10. Delta: Named after the River Niger’s delta formation as it enters the Atlantic Ocean.
11. Ebonyi: The anglicised version of ‘Aboine’, a river that cuts through Abakaliki, the state capital.
12. Edo: The Bini people, who inhabit the area, refer to themselves as Edo or Iduu, inspiring the state’s name.
13. Ekiti: Derived from ‘Okiti’, a term denoting a settlement of many hills, which later became ‘Ekiti’.
14. Enugu: Named after the Igbo term “Enu Ugwu,” meaning “top of the hill,” due to the area’s hilly terrain.
15. Gombe: Named after the dialect of the Fulani language (Fulfulde) spoken in the area.
16. Imo: Named after the popular river, Imo Mmiri.
17. Jigawa: Named for its distinctively golden-colored soil.
18. Kaduna: Named after ‘Kadunas’, the plural form of crocodile in Hausa, due to the many crocodiles in Kaduna River.
19. Kano: Named after a blacksmith from the Gaya tribe who settled in the area while sourcing ironstone.
20. Katsina: Named after Katsina, the wife of a popular local ruler known as Janzama.
21. Kebbi: Said to be named after the Ka’abba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
22. Kogi: Derived from ‘kogin’, the Hausa word for river, due to the state’s location at the popular confluence in Nigeria.
23. Kwara: Named after the River Niger, which was called River Kwara by the Nupes at the Northern border of the state.
24. Lagos: Named by the Portuguese in 1472 due to the many lagoons and rivers in the town; Lagos is the Portuguese word for ‘lakes’.
25. Nasarawa: A native word for ‘victorious’, named by the founder of the Nasarawa kingdom, Makama Dogo.
26. Niger: Named after the River Niger.
27. Ogun: Named after the Ogun River.
28. Ondo: Named after the settlers of the old Ondo Kingdom; ‘Ondo’ is a word for settlers.
29. Osun: Named after the River Osun.
30. Oyo: Named after the Old Oyo Empire.
31. Plateau: Named after the picturesque Jos plateau; Jos itself got its name from the mispronunciation of ‘Gwosh’.
32. Rivers: Named after the many water bodies present in the area.
33. Sokoto: The anglicized version of the Arabic word ‘suk’ meaning ‘market’ or ‘place of commerce’; named after the defunct Sokoto Caliphate.
34. Taraba: Named after the Taraba River.
35. Yobe: Inspired by Komadugu Yobe (Waube or Ouobe) or River Yobe (or River of Yo).
36. Zamfara: Named after Zamfarawa, one of the sub-dialects of the Eastern Hausa group.

FCT: Abuja: Named after Abubakar-Ja, a prominent man who resided in the area; ‘Abubakar’ is abbreviated to “Abu” in Hausa, and over time, the name was shortened to Abuja.