CSO Calls For Renaming Of Kogi State

A Civil Society Organisation, Centre for Speech Development and Learning Initiative has called on relevant stakeholders to review the Name “Kogi state” and rename it confluence state to reflect the geographical element prominent in the state.

The Director of the Organisation, Dr. Alex Maiyanga made the call at a news conference to agitate for the change of name of the state to be at par with its counterparts who got their name reflecting landmark or things closely associated with the state.

Dr. Maiyanga who said Kogi means “River” in Hausa which did not reflect the true identity and historical events associated with prominent incident, people or land mark.

He therefore called on the National Assembly to expedite action on legislations on the renaming of the state which according to him, the name “Confluence state would attract global attention, which would go a long way to boost the state’s economy profile as well as the nation as other opportunities in the state would be properly harnessed by foreign investors.

History has indicated that Kogi State has been inhabited for years by various ethnic groups, including the Igala, Ebira, Gbagyi, and Nupe (mainly the Bassa Nge, Kakanda, and Kupa subgroups) in the state’s center; the Agatu, Basa-Komoand Idoma in the east; and the Yoruba (mainly the Okun, Ogori, Oworo, and Magongo subgroups) in the west.

According to Maiyanga “From my studies, the names of the 36 States in Nigeria have their names stemming from historical, geographical and cultural influences. For instance, Abia is said to be an acronym from the four main groups of people in the state as at the time it was formed in 1991, which is Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato and Afikpo. Taraba state is derived from Taraba river which traverses the southern part of Taraba. Adarnawa state is named after Modibo Adama, a Fulani warrior who founded the Adamawa Emirate. Akwa Ibom is named after Kwa Ibo river which runs through the state into the Bight of Bonny. Bayelsa is said to be derived from the State’s major local government areas: Brass(Balga), Yenagoa(yelga) and Sagbama(salga).”

He stressed further that “Why did Babangida and his military cohorts bury one of Nigeria’s most gigantic geographical blessings of the two huge rivers-Niger and Benue with an amazing breath-taking CONFLUENCE at Lokoja, the state capital. Of all the names of the states in Nigeria, none has the misfortune of being named after other people’s word. In kogi all the ethnic groups have a name for a river, why was none selected from amongst them?

Dr. Maiyanga therefore explained that Nigeria recognizes the English language as the official language of communication. Babangida and the Supreme Military council communicated wrongly as far as the nomenclature of kogi state was concerned-it was a linguistic and constitutional aberration.

Florence Adewale, Edited By Grace Namiji