Nigeria as a Country has 36 States and 3 major Ethnic groups which are Yoruba Hausa and the Igbos. The country has about 371 ethic groups spread acroos each state.
Each of the States in Nigeria has its own dynamic mode of formation.
ABIA STATE
Abia is an acronym from the four main groups of people in the state as at the time it was formed in 1991: Aba Bende Isuikwuato Afikpo.
ADAMAWA
Adamawa was named after a warrior, Modibbo Adama Bin Ardo Hassan, that conquered the region in the beginning of the 19th century.
AKWA-IBOM
Akwa Ibom is named after the Qua Iboe (or Kwa Iboe) River.
ANAMBRA
This got its name from the corrupted version of Oma Mbala (Ànyịm Ọma Mbala), a popular river in the area.
BAUCHI
Bauchi’ is Hausa word meaning the southern flanks of Hausaland. Tr!bes 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.
BAYELSA
Bayelsa 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.
BENUE STATE
This was named after the “europeanised” corruption of ‘Binuwe’, the Batta word for ‘Mother of Waters’.
BORNO
The alternative name of the Kanuris, the predominant ethnic group in the state, is ‘Borno’ which gave inspiration for the naming.
CROSS RIVER
This took its name from a River called Oyono or Cross River.
DELTA
ThIS is where the River Niger forms a delta as it enters the Atlantic Ocean.
EBONYI
Ebonyi is the anglicised version of ‘Aboine’, a river that cuts through Abakaliki, the capital.
EDO
The Benin people who dwell in the area had always referred to themselves as Edo or Iduu. This inspired the name of the state.
EKITI
Okiti’ is a term that is said to denote a settlement of many hills. It later became ‘Ekiti’.
ENUGU
Due to the many hills and rocky terrain in the area, the people named it in igbo, “Enu Ugwu” meaning “top of the hill”. The state is named after the anglicised version, Enugu.
GOMBE
Gombe is the dialect of Fulani language (Fulfulde) spoken in the area.
IMO
Just like many of the Nigerian states, Imo took its name from the popular river, Imo Mmiri.
JIGAWA
Jigawa takes inspiration from its distinctively golden-coloured soil.
KADUNA
‘Kadunas’ is the plural form of crocodile in Hausa. The state therefore got its name from the many crocodiles in Kaduna River
KANO
Kano was the name of a blacksmith from the Gaya people who settled in the area while sourcing for ironstone. The state was named after him.
KATSINA
This was named after the wife of a popular local ruler known as Janzama. Her name was Katsina
KEBBI
It is said that Kebbi was named after the Ka’abba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
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.
KWARA
River Niger used to be called River Kwara by the Nupes at the Northern border of the state and was named after this.
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’.
NASARAWA
Nasarawa is a native word for ‘victorious’. The state was named by the founder of Nasarawa kingdom, Makama Dogo
NIGER
This was named after the River Niger
OGUN
This state was also named after a river — Ogun River.
ONDO
Ondo is a word used for settlers. The state was named after the settlers of the old Ondo Kingdom
OSUN
This state was also named after a river — the River Osun.
OYO
The state was named after the Old Oyo empire.
PLATEAU
The state was named after the picturesque Jos plateau. Jos got its name from the mispronunciation of the town ‘Gwosh’
RIVERS
Rivers State was named after the many water bodies present in the area.
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
TARABA
Taraba state got its name from the Taraba River.
YOBE
Komadugu Yobe (Waube or Ouobe) or River Yobe (or River of Yo) inspired the name of the state.
ZAMFARA
This state was named after Zamfarawa, one of the subdialects of the Eastern Hausa group.
ABUJA (FCT)
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.