Opobo is a community in
Rivers State
Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...
, in the
South South
The South South (often hyphenated to the South-South) is the one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria representing both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross R ...
region of Nigeria. The kingdom was founded in 1870 by Jubo Jubogha, popularly known as JaJa, an Igbo man who owned slaves. The native language of Opobo is the Ibani language that is spoken in Bonny.
A greater part of the city state is still referred to as Opobo in Rivers State. Opobo is made up of several
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s and communities which is in
Opobo–Nkoro
Opobo/Nkoro is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. It is part of the Andoni/Gokana/Khana/Oyigbo/Tai/Eleme constituency of the Nigerian National Assembly delegation from Rivers
The Nigerian National Assembly
The National Asse ...
Local Government Area in the
South South
The South South (often hyphenated to the South-South) is the one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria representing both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross R ...
Senatorial District of Rivers State Nigeria.
The communities include Opobo Town, which is its headquarters, Queenstown, Kalasunju, Oloma, Ayaminimah, Iloma, Minimah, Okpukpo, Iwoma, Ekereborokiri, Kalaibiama, Epelema, Ozuobulu, Muma Down Below, Inokiri and Abazibie.
Opobo's geologic setting is similar to the coastal and estuarine settlements of the Niger Delta region. It is located at the mouth of the Imo River, one of the main estuaries that break the Nigerian coastline. The approximate geographical co-ordinates of the kingdom are 04°34'N latitudes and longitude 07°12'E, located about from the Atlantic Ocean. Opobo is two meters above sea level and the very close interfaces between the sea water. Opobo is located about from
Port Harcourt and has been accessible by sea and air and only recently by land.
Opobo is divided into 14 sections ("polo"), made up of Sixty Seven War Canoe Houses. The Fourteen sections are Adibie, Biriye, Diepiri, Dapu, Dappa Ye Amakiri, Epelle and Fubarakworo. Others are Iroanya, Jaja, Kalaomuso, Ukonu, Kiepirima, Owujie and Tolofari.
History
![King_Jaja_Opobo_statue_2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/King_Jaja_Opobo_statue_2.jpg)
Opobo is located to the east of the
Kingdom of Bonny
The Kingdom of Bonny, otherwise known as Grand Bonny, is a traditional state based on the town of Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. In the pre-colonial period, it was an important slave trading port, later trading palm oil products.
During the 19 ...
. Bonny and Opobo are of the same origin, both associated with the
Ndoki people Ndoki may refer to:
* Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park
* Dzanga-Ndoki National Park
The Dzanga-Ndoki National Park is located in the southwestern extremity of the Central African Republic. Established in 1990, the national park is . The national pa ...
. an
Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
subgroup.
Jubo Jubogha
King Jaja of Opobo (full name: Jubo Jubogha; 1821–1891) was the first king (amanyanabo) of Opobo. He was also the founder of Opobo city-state in present day Rivers State of Nigeria. Born in Umuduruoha Amaigbo in present-day Imo State, his act ...
rose from slavery to lead the Anna Pepple chieftaincy house of Bonny In 1870, Jubo first arrived in what is now Opobo, having moved there due to a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
in Bonny between his followers and those of Chief
Oko Jumbo
Chieftain, Chief Oko Jumbo (died 1891) was an important chief in the Kingdom of Bonny, a state in the Niger Delta, now part of Rivers State, Nigeria. For many years in the 19th century he was the effective ruler of Bonny.
Background
The Kingdo ...
, the leader of the rival
Manilla Pepple chieftaincy family.
[ The king named his new state after Amanyanabo Opubo "Pepple" Perekule the Great, a Pepple king in Bonny that had reigned there from 1792 to 1830.
Jubo Jubogha became involved in ]palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
trading with Europeans. He started a trading post at Opobo Town, close to Ikot Abasi and 4 miles southwest of the Opobo river. Due to his dealings with them, he soon acquired the trade name
A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...
''Jaja''. Jubo Jubogha was never on good terms with the Annang
The Anaang (also spelled Annang) are a sub-ethnic group of the larger Ibibio people, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk ...
and the Ibibio Ibibio may refer to:
* Ibibio language
* Ibibio people
* Ibibio Sound Machine, an English electronic afro-funk band who sing in Ibibio
See also
* Ibiblio
ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections" ...
the east, as he declared himself as the middleman in palm oil trading, thus asking them to stop trading directly with the Europeans. This resulted in a war (the Ikot Udo Obong War) between Jubo and the Annang and Ibuno people as recorded by Nair.[Cf. Nair, 1972, page 183] In 1887, he was deceived when he was told to go and negotiate with the Queen of the United Kingdom by the British. He was captured upon his arrival on the consul's flagship, and was sent into exile in Saint Vincent in the West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
thereafter.
Traditions
The following are a few of Opobo's unique customs:
* Dogs are forbidden. This tradition, which has its roots in ancient times, is one of the most important taboos the people of this coastal town hold on to. While the people are free to bring in dog meat to eat in their homes whenever they feel like it, they are not allowed to keep dogs as pets or bring them into the community.
* Shooting a gun is not allowed. Such a thing is only to occur by royal sanction during a war.
* Individuals are forbidden from wearing caps while passing through the gateway linking one compound to another. The gateways are small roofed passages, essentially a series of tunnels, connecting one compound to another. On the floor of such gateways is a crossbar, which those passing are forbidden to set foot on. Adhering to this rule while passing through the place is a mark of respect for the high chief of a particular compound, which is also referred to as a war canoe house.
* Making noise, pounding or quarrelling at night is forbidden. Making any form of noise at night is one of the biggest offences anyone can commit in this island community. You could be labelled an enemy of the town. Similarly, quarrelling and fighting at night is taboo here as well. Regardless of how provoked you are, you must wait till the break of dawn to vent your anger on whoever has provoked you.
Breaking any of these rules attracts a fine each or a serious punishment by the compound heads.
Initiation into womanhood
A certified wife who has not been initiated into womanhood with the appropriate initiation ceremony, known as the ''Egerebite and Bibite'', is not allowed to tie a special wrapper called 'George'. Such a woman would also be denied many other rights: there are sacred places that she cannot enter and she will not be entitled to mix freely with women that have been initiated. In fact, she can be traditionally disgraced by the other women in the community at any time.
Rulers
The rulers of Opobo were:[
]
Notable people
*Kenneth Minimah
Kenneth Minimah, (born 27 July 1959) is a retired Nigerian infantry soldier and former Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Early life
Kenneth T. J. Minimah was born on 27 July 1959 in Opobo Kingdom, Rivers State, Nigeria.
He attended ...
, CFR, a Nigerian infantry soldier and the former Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff
*Atedo Peterside
Atedo Peterside (born in July 1955) is a Nigerian entrepreneur, investment banker, and economist. He is the founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Anap Business Jets Limited (Anap Jets), and the Atedo N. A. Peterside Foundation (Anap Foundation).
Ed ...
, CON, a Nigerian entrepreneur, investment banker
Investment banking pertains to certain activities of a financial services company or a corporate division that consist in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated with ...
and economist.
*Dakuku Peterside
Dakuku Adol Peterside is a Nigerian politician. He was formerly the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency since March 2016. Prior to his role at NIMASA, he was a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives ...
, former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
* Adawari Pepple, businessman, and former senator.
* Amaopusenibo Sim Fubara Rivers State 2023 PDP Governorship candidate
Gallery
File:An Antique bell at Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
File:An Antique bell at Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state3.jpg
File:Cyprian Jaja Royal Family House, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
File:A statue of Jaja of Opobo at Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state3.jpg
File:Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
File:Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state2.jpg
File:Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state3.jpg
File:King Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state2.jpg
File:King Jaja of Opobo Palace, Opobo, Rivers state3.jpg
File:Nigeria Legion signpost, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
File:Opobo Local Government Secretariat, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
File:Opobo road, Opobo, Rivers state2.jpg
File:Queen Osunju Jaja Compund, Opobo, Rivers state.jpg
Notes
References
Further reading
* Burns, Alan. ''History of Nigeria'', George Allen & Unwin, 1929.
* Dike, Kenneth O. ''Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta, 1830-1885'', Oxford University Press, 1956.
* Annang Heritage Preservation
article on Annang
Britannica article on Ikot Abasi
* Nair, Kannan K. (1972). ''Politics and Society in South Eastern Nigeria 1841-1906'', Frank Cass, London.
External links
*
{{Nigerian traditional states
Populated places in Rivers State
City-states
1870 establishments in Africa