Opobo is a community in Rivers state, South South region of Nigeria that was founded in 1870 . The people of Opobo are a mixture of the Ndoki clan of the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

and the Ibani clan of the Ijaw ethnic group. Their native languages are the

Igbo language Igbo ( , ; Standard Igbo: ''Ásụ̀sụ́ Ìgbò'' ) is the principal native language cluster of the Igbo people, an ethnicity in the Southeastern part of Nigeria. Igbo languages are spoken by a total of 31 million people. The number of Igbo ...

and the Ibani language, with Igbo language being the

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

. 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 a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s and communities which is in Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area in the

South South The South-South is one of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. It designates both a geographic and political region of the country's eastern coast. It comprises six States of Nigeria, states – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River State, Cross Ri ...

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. Some parts of the city state are now in

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

: Egwenga and Opukalama, in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State. 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 Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

and has been accessible by sea and air and only recently by land. Opobo is divided into 14 sections ("polo"), made up of 67 War Canoe Houses. The 14 sections are Adibie, Biriye, Diepiri, Dapu, Dappa Ye Amakiri, Epelle, Fubarakworo, Iroanya, Jaja, Kalaomuso, Ukonu, Kiepirima, Owujie, and Tolofari.

History

Opobo is located to the east of the

Kingdom of Bonny The Kingdom of Bonny, otherwise known as Grand Bonny, is a Nigerian traditional state, traditional state based on the town of Bonny, Nigeria, Bonny in Rivers State, Nigeria. In the pre-colonial period, it was an important slave trading port, late ...

. Bonny and Opobo are of the same origin, both associated with the Ndoki people. an Igbo subgroup.

Jubo Jubogha King Jaja of Opobo (full name: Jubo Jubogha; c. 1821–1891) was the founder and first king () of the Opobo Kingdom in present-day Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Originally belonging to the Igbo people, Igbo ethnicity, he was Accul ...

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 is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

in Bonny between his followers and those of Chief Oko Jumbo, 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 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 fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

''Ja-Ja''. Jubo Jubogha was never on good terms with the Annang and the Ibibio 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 an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

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 during nighttime 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 of N7,000 each or a serious punishment by the community 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, CFR, a Nigerian infantry soldier and the former Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff * Atedo Peterside, CON, a Nigerian entrepreneur, investment banker and economist. *Dakuku Peterside, former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA. * Adawari Pepple, businessman, and former senator.

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

External links

* {{Nigerian traditional states 1870 establishments in Africa City-states Populated places established in 1870 Populated places in Rivers State