Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers State in the southern part of Nigeria as well as the fifth largest city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Kaduna. Many Nigerians know the city as Port Harcourt, but only a few of them know the former name of the city, and whom the city is currently named after.
The city of Port Harcourt used to go by the name “Iguocha”, which was an “Ikwerre” name that was coined from the Igbo word “Ugwu Ocha” (White Hill). However, with the establishment of a port in the city, which was established for the purpose of exporting coal that was discovered in Enugu, under the colonial administration of Lord Fredrick Lugard, the new port needed a name.
Photo Credit: villeatlatlantichomes.ng
Therefore, according to Vanguardnews, in August 1913, the then Governor General of Nigeria Sir Fredrick Lugard, wrote a letter to the then Secretary of State for colonies (Lewis Vernon Harcourt), that while they can’t seem to find a suitable local name for the new port, he would respectfully seek his permission for the new port to be called port Harcourt.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The Secretary of State gave his consent, and that was how the city formerly known as “Iguocha” came to be known as Port Harcourt.
Content created and supplied by: FrankChukwu (via Opera
News )
