October 1st: How Nigeria Got Her Name

For quite a long time, Europeans had been hearing of a great river flowing in the country of the blacks. Mungo Park was the first European to sew this river called River Niger(River of the black people) at Segu 1796. The Lander Brothers in 1830 discovered where River Niger entered into the Atlantic Ocean through many mouths or Delta. 

Soon several European traders rushed to the Creeks of the Niger Delta to buy palm oil. This led to competition among the white men on the oil Rivers. And so the British Government declared the "Oil Rivers Protectorate"

The Royal Niger Company which was formed by Taubman George Goldie in 1789, received the Royal Charter in 1886 and took over the administration of the Niger and Benue valleys. In 1900 the British Government took over from the Royal Niger Company. The territory was divided into the North and the Southern protectorates. 

In 1914, Lord Frederick the then British High Commissioner, amalgamated the two protectorates and named it "NIGERIA".

Having created a new country, the British Government started to develop it. 1913 a railway line was built from Port Harcourt to Enugu where coal had been discovered. Soon a coal-mine was established. Nigeria was divided into Northern and Southern Provinces. Taxation was introduced into the Southern provinces. This led to Aba Women Riot of 1929. Because the women disliked taxation. 

In 1948 Sir John Macpherson arrived in Nigeria as the Governor. He introduced a constitution which divided Nigeria into three Regions namely Eastern Region with the Headquarters at Enugu, Northern Region with the Headquarters at Kaduna and the Western Region with the Headquarters at Ibadan. Then Lagos was known as the Federal Capital. Because of the differences in population, character and level of development, the Constitution broke down and could not work. A new and workable constitution was demanded. Therefore the British and the Nigerian Leaders agreed to hold a new constitutional Conference in London the same year. 

In 1953 the Nigerian leaders and British rulers met in London. In this meeting it was agreed that:

1. Nigeria should be given a governor general. 

2. Each Region should have a governor. 

3. Each Region was to be governed by its own government. 

4. The laws of the Federation were to come into force on 1st April and should apply to all parts of the Federation. 

Four years after the 1953 Conference, another Constitutional Conference was held in London, and that was in 1957. Nigerian Leaders were led by Dr.  Nnamdi Azikiwe and representatives of the British Government also attended the meeting. The following were granted :

1. The Eastern and the Western Regions were permitted to have Self-Government by 8th August 1957.

2. The Northern Region was granted Self-Government by March 15, 1959.

3. There was to be an all Nigerian Cabinet, headed by the Governor-General. 

4. The office of the Prime Minister was to be created. 

Also Read: Leadership Decay In Nigeria

Following these decisions reached, the then Governor-General appointed Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the first Nigerian Prime Minister. Tafawa Balewa formed a Coalition Government comprising members of the major political parties - The N.P.C., the N.C.N.C. and A.G.

The then Secretary of States for Colonies, Sir Alex Lennox - Boyd assured the Nigerian Leaders that they would be granted Independence if they asked for it. 

Queen Elizabeth II of England accepted this request. Nigeria became an Independent country on October 1st 1960. Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first Nigerian Governor-General and he succeeded Sir James Robertson, the last British Governor-General for Nigeria. Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became the Prime Minister of Nigeria. 

The N.P.C and N.C.N.C joined to form the then government of Nigeria and the A.G headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo became the opposition Party. Therefore Nigeria got her name from River Niger.