King Jaja of Opobo (full name: Jubo Jubogha; 1821–1891) was the first king (amanyanabo) of Opobo. He was also the founder of
Opobo
Opobo is a community in Rivers State, in the South South 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 ...
city-state in present day
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 ...
of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Born in Umuduruoha
Amaigbo
Amaigbo is a large town in Imo State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of Nwangele Local Government Area. Amaigbo is regarded by many historians as the cradle of Igbo civilization.
The town has an official post office.
Notable people
* Chief ...
in present-day
Imo State
Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo River which flows al ...
, his actual birth date, as well as his birth parents, is unknown.
Jaja earned his way out of servant hood (apprenticeship) after serving his master for some years. At the death of his master, he took charge of the trades and went on to head the Anna Pepple House merchant faction of
Bonny. Under him, Anna Pepple absorbed other trade houses until a dispute with the Manilla Pepple House led by
Oko Jumbo compelled Jaja to break away to form the Opobo city-state (26 miles east of Bonny) in 1869.
Opobo came to be a prominent trading post in the region's
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 fr ...
trade. Jaja barred entry to European and African middlemen, effectively monopolizing
trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exc ...
, and by 1870 was selling eight thousand tons of palm oil directly to the British. Opobo also shipped palm oil directly to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
. Despite his trade rivalry with the Europeans, Jaja sent his children to schools in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
and enlisted whites to staff the secular school he built in Opobo. He barred any missionaries from entering Opobo.
At the 1884
Berlin Conference the Europeans designated Opobo as British territory. When Jaja refused to cease taxing the British traders,
Henry Hamilton Johnston
Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston (12 June 1858 – 31 July 1927), known as Harry Johnston, was a British explorer, botanist, artist, colonial administrator, and linguist who travelled widely in Africa and spoke many African languages. He publish ...
, a British vice consul, invited Jaja for negotiations in 1887. Jaja was arrested on arrival aboard a British vessel; he was tried in
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
in the
Gold Coast (now
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
) then exiled, first to London, and later to
Saint Vincent and
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...
in the
British West Indies. His presence in the West Indies was alleged to be the cause of civil unrest, as the people of
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...
, of
African descent, were upset at the
poor treatment of a King from their homeland.
In 1891, Jaja was granted permission to return to Opobo, but died en route. Following his
exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
and death, the power of the Opobo state rapidly declined.
In 1903 the
King Jaja of Opobo Memorial was erected in his honor in Opobo town centre.
See also
*
Legends of Africa
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
King Jaja of Opoboat Black History Pages
at Igbani-Awo Association
*
**
*, a
Barbadian folk song referencing the king
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opobo, Jaja Of
1821 births
1891 deaths
People from Opobo
19th-century Nigerian businesspeople
Opobo monarchs
People of colonial Nigeria
19th-century monarchs in Africa