On April 6 , 1973 , the President François Tombalbaye changed its name to N'Djamena ( taken from the Arab name of a nearby village , `` Niǧāmīnā '' , meaning `` place of rest '' ) as part of his `` authenticité '' program of Africanization .
The name was changed to N'Djamena ( taken from the Arab name `` Niǧāmīnā '' , meaning `` place of rest '' ) by the President François Tombalbaye on April 6 , 1973 .