What Was Nigeria Called Before Independence?

If you’ve ever looked at a map of Africa and wondered about Nigeria’s history, you’re not alone. The country we know today as Nigeria didn’t always have that name. In fact, before 1914, that name didn’t exist at all.

So what did people call that region before independence? Let me walk you through it.

The Short Answer

Before Nigeria got its name, the area was a collection of different powerful kingdoms, empires, and ethnic territories. The name “Nigeria” itself came from the Niger River, which runs through the country.

A British journalist named Flora Shaw suggested the name in 1897, and it became official in 1914 when the British merged the Northern and Southern protectorates.

But that’s just the simple version. The real story is much more interesting.

Before Colonization: A Land of Many Names

For thousands of years, the area now called Nigeria wasn’t one united place. It was home to advanced civilizations that had their own names for their territories.

The Great Kingdoms and Empires

The Oyo Empire – This was one of the most powerful states in the region. Yoruba people called their lands “Ile Yoruba” (Yorubaland). The Oyo Empire controlled a huge area of what is now southwestern Nigeria.

The Benin Kingdom – The Edo people called their territory “Igodomigodo” before it became the Benin Kingdom. This kingdom was so advanced that when Portuguese explorers arrived in the 1400s, they were shocked by the organized cities and bronze artwork.

The Sokoto Caliphate – In the north, this Islamic empire was one of the largest in Africa in the 1800s. The Hausa and Fulani people called their lands by various names based on the different emirates, like Kano, Katsina, and Zazzau.

The Nri Kingdom – In the southeast, the Igbo people organized differently. The Nri Kingdom was more of a spiritual and cultural authority than a military empire. The Igbo didn’t have a single name for their entire region because they lived in autonomous villages.

Here’s what matters: None of these powerful kingdoms thought of themselves as “Nigerian.” They were Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Edo, Ijaw, and many other identities. This is still important today because those ethnic identities remain very strong.

The First European Name: The Niger Sudan

When Portuguese traders reached the coast in the 1470s, they started naming things based on what they saw. They called the region around the Niger River delta the “Slave Coast” in some areas, but that wasn’t an official name.

For a while, Europeans referred to the general area as the “Niger Sudan” or “Central Sudan.” Sudan in Arabic means “land of black people,” so this wasn’t very specific. It covered a massive area from West Africa to East Africa.

The Name That Stuck: How Nigeria Got Its Name

Here’s where Flora Shaw enters the story. She was a British journalist who later married Lord Lugard, the colonial administrator who would unite Nigeria.

In 1897, Shaw wrote an article for The Times of London suggesting that the British territories along the Niger River should be called “Nigeria.” Her reasoning was simple – the name came from the river, and it was easier than saying “Royal Niger Company territories.”

The name caught on quickly.

By 1900, Britain had formally established:

• The Northern Nigeria Protectorate
• The Southern Nigeria Protectorate

Then in 1914, Lord Lugard merged these two territories into the “Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.” That’s the official moment Nigeria became Nigeria.

What Locals Called Their Own Lands

This part is crucial. While Europeans were busy naming the region based on rivers and colonial interests, the people living there already had names for their homes.

The Hausa-Fulani north – People referred to their specific emirates. A person would say “I’m from Kano” or “I’m from Sokoto.” The concept of a unified northern territory was foreign to most.

The Yoruba southwest – “Ile Yoruba” (Yorubaland) was understood among Yoruba people, but different subgroups had their own emphasis. An Oyo person might identify differently than an Ijebu person.

The Igbo southeast – Igboland wasn’t a political unit. Igbo people lived in village democracies. They named their specific villages and clusters. “Igbo” itself was more a cultural and linguistic identity than a territorial name.

The Niger Delta – The Ijaw, Ibibio, Efik, and other coastal peoples identified with their city-states like Bonny, Brass, and Calabar.

This matters because understanding these original names helps explain modern Nigeria. The country is still learning how to be one nation instead of many separate ones.

What About “The Slave Coast” and “Oil Rivers”?

You might have heard other names for parts of Nigeria. Let me clear those up quickly.

The Slave Coast – This name referred to the coastal areas of modern Benin, Togo, and western Nigeria. It got this terrible name because European slave traders operated heavily there from the 1600s to 1800s.

The Oil Rivers – After Britain banned the slave trade in 1807, they started trading palm oil instead. The Niger Delta became known as the “Oil Rivers Protectorate” in 1885. Yes, that’s where the name comes from – palm oil, not crude oil.

Both of these names were European labels focused on what the region could provide to them. Neither reflected what the local people called their home.

Why Knowing This History Matters

You might be thinking, “Okay, but why should I care what Nigeria was called 150 years ago?”

Here’s why.

First, it helps you understand Nigeria today. The country has over 250 ethnic groups who didn’t choose to be in one nation. Britain put them together for administrative convenience. That’s why Nigerian politics can look like different groups competing for power. They are.

Second, it shows how colonial names often erased local identities. “Nigeria” is easier for English speakers to say than learning the names of dozens of kingdoms and territories. But that convenience came at a cost – it lumped very different peoples under one label.

Third, if you’re doing business, travel, or building relationships with Nigerians, understanding this history shows respect. A Yoruba person might feel strongly about Oyo history. An Igbo person might want to talk about Nri. A Hausa person might reference the Sokoto Caliphate with pride.

How Nigerians Feel About the Name Today

Most Nigerians accept “Nigeria” as their country’s name. It’s been that way for over a century now. Flora Shaw’s suggestion stuck.

But ask any Nigerian what they identify with first, and you’ll often hear their ethnic group before “Nigerian.” That’s not anti-nationalism. It’s history. For thousands of years, their ancestors were Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, or Ijaw first. Only for the last 100 years have they been Nigerian.

Some people have suggested changing the name to something more African, like “Naija” (which Nigerians already use informally) or “Nigeria” with different spelling. But no serious movement exists to officially change it.

Quick Reference Table

Time Period	What It Was Called	Who Used That Name
Pre-1400s	Various kingdom names (Ile Yoruba, Igodomigodo, etc.)	Local peoples
1400s-1800s	The Slave Coast (partially), The Niger Sudan	European traders
1885-1900	Oil Rivers Protectorate, Royal Niger Company territories	British colonizers
1900-1914	Northern Nigeria Protectorate, Southern Nigeria Protectorate	British colonizers
1914-1960	Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria	British colonizers and Nigerians
1960-present	Nigeria (Federal Republic of Nigeria)	Independent Nigeria

Final Thoughts

So what was Nigeria called before independence? The honest answer is: many different things, depending on who was doing the naming and where you stood.

The great kingdoms had their own names. European traders and colonizers had names based on rivers, trade goods, and colonial interests. And regular people just named their villages, towns, and cities without worrying about what the whole region was called.

When Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960, it kept the name the British gave it. Not because it was perfect, but because after 46 years of colonial rule, “Nigeria” was already what people called home.

Here’s a question for you: If you could rename your own country today, would you keep the colonial name or choose something that reflects older, local identities? And what would you name it?

Drop your thoughts in the comments. I read every single one.