VIDEO: “We Were Not Supposed To Be Nigerians In The First Place” Burna Boy Breaks Down How The Nation Was Formed

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Burna Boy, a globally renowned Nigerian musician known for his Afro-fusion style and thought-provoking lyrics, recently made headlines during an interview on Lyric Inspire, a podcast show on Tidal. During the interview, he sparked controversy by stating, “We were not supposed to be Nigerians in the first place.” Burna Boy elaborated on how the name “Nigeria” originated from an oil company that bought the area and imposed the name.

The name “Nigeria” was indeed a colonial construct, coined by British journalist Flora Shaw in the late 19th century. It was derived from the Niger River, a major river in West Africa, and was intended to represent the territories under British control in the region. The name was officially adopted when the British merged the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914, creating the modern state of Nigeria.

Burna Boy, who hails from the South-South Ijaw tribe, touched on the ongoing debate about Nigeria’s unity. His comments resonate with the sentiments of some ethnic groups, particularly in the Southeast, who advocate for the secession of Biafra, and the Yoruba people in the Southwest, who seek an independent Yoruba nation. Burna Boy’s statement raises the question of whether Nigeria’s current structure as a single nation is sustainable or whether the idea of forming sovereign states could gain more traction.

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