Lady Flora Shaw proposes the name 'Nigeria'

Background. Flora Shaw, a British journalist and writer, is credited with coining the name Nigeria. Before her proposal, various names were suggested for the region, including Royal Niger Company Territories, Central Sudan, Niger Empire, Niger Sudan, and Hausa Territories. In an essay that first appeared in The Times on 8 January 1897 under the byline "Miss Shaw", Shaw's stated rationale was to differentiate the territories over which the Royal Niger Company had extended British influence from the colonies of Lagos, the Niger Protectorate on the coast, and the French territories of the Upper Niger.

The Proposal. In an essay published on 8 January 1897, Shaw argued that the name 'Nigeria' could be accepted without offending neighbors. She proposed it as co-extensive with the territories where the Royal Niger Company had extended British influence. This name was intended to differentiate these areas from the colonies of Lagos, the Niger Protectorate on the coast, and the French territories of the Upper Niger.

Legacy. Shaw is credited with having coined the name Nigeria on 8 January 1897. The name was proposed for the territories over which the Royal Niger Company had extended British influence, and it is recognized as the origin of the country's name.