The Original Names Of 10 Nigerian Towns Changed By Europeans
When the Europeans first came to Nigeria, communicating with the people was a major challenge.
They could not interact in the local language. Pronouncing and writing names of places was challenging.
Since they couldn’t pronounce the names, some of the names were either changed, corrupted, or anglicised.
The original names of many places in Nigeria have become lost in time. When the Europeans first came to Nigeria, communicating with the people was a major challenge. Since they couldn’t pronounce the names of places in the country, some of the names were either changed, corrupted or anglicised.
Here are 10 towns affected.
Eko to Lagos
Lagos was formerly called Oko by Yoruba fishermen and hunters, then it became Eko.
Portuguese merchants named it Onim before finally choosing Lagos in the 1760s.
It was named after a coastal city in Portugal.
Agbadagiri to Badagry
Badagry was called Agbadagiri.
Agbadagiri is the Yoruba version of its original name Agbedegreme (Agbedeh’s farm in [Egun] language).
European merchants renamed the town Badagry.
Gwosh to Jos
Jos, the capital of Plateau state, was originally Gwosh before it was renamed.
Jos is a European mispronunciation of Gwosh, the traditional name of the town.
Urhiapele to Sapele
Sapele, a coastal town in Delta state, was traditionally called Urhiapele.
It is inhabited by Urhobo people.
The Europeans who found it difficult to pronounce Urhiapele renamed it Sapele.
Nembe to Brass
Brass is the European name given to the Nembe coastal villages in Rivers State because they traded for brass pans and Neptunes to use for salt boiling.
Brass became the official name when it was used in the treaties of 1884 and 1886 to refer to Nembe.
Ibani to Bonny
Bonny, formerly Ibani, in Rivers state, was one of the largest slave-exporting depots of West Africa.
Ibani was changed to Bonny by Europeans.
The people of Bonny are still known as Ibani.
Ọmambala to Anambra
The name Anambra is the anglicized version of the river Ọmambala
the Igbo name of the Anambra River.
It became known as Anambra when the Europeans could not pronounce Ọmambala.
Victoria Island
The area of Lagos Island that became known as Victoria Island was part of Iru.
British explorers named the area after British monarch Queen Victoria who died in 1901.
Port Harcourt
Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state, was named after Lewis Vernon Harcourt by Frederick Lugard in 1912.
Harcourt was the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The area was taken from the Diobu people of Ikwerre to build a port town.
Ahaba to Asaba
An Italian missionary Carlos Zappa renamed Ahaba to Asaba (Delta state).
Zappa arrived in Asaba on May 17, 1888, and died in 1917.
He was one of the first Roman Catholic missionaries to work in Asaba.
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