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    Jaja of Opobo

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    Opemipo Olorunfemi
    Chief Jack Annie Pepple and other pioneer Chiefs from Grand Bonny established a new kingdom called Opobo in 1870 as a strategic move following a civil war. They chose a location about a day's paddle from their ancestral home that allowed them to establish trading posts with inland communities along the Imo River and coastal communities along the Atlantic Ocean. Under the leadership of their King Jaja, the first Amanyanabo of Opobo, the kingdom quickly became one of the six leading city-states in the Oil Rivers protectorate and its economy grew to prominence in the palm produce trade of the 19th century. King Jaja demonstrated statesmanship and commercial drive in building a flourishing city-state and in struggling against Europe's business

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    Jaja of Opobo

    Uploaded by

    Opemipo Olorunfemi
    189 views1 page
    Chief Jack Annie Pepple and other pioneer Chiefs from Grand Bonny established a new kingdom called Opobo in 1870 as a strategic move following a civil war. They chose a location about a day's paddle from their ancestral home that allowed them to establish trading posts with inland communities along the Imo River and coastal communities along the Atlantic Ocean. Under the leadership of their King Jaja, the first Amanyanabo of Opobo, the kingdom quickly became one of the six leading city-states in the Oil Rivers protectorate and its economy grew to prominence in the palm produce trade of the 19th century. King Jaja demonstrated statesmanship and commercial drive in building a flourishing city-state and in struggling against Europe's business

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    Chief Jack Annie Pepple and other pioneer Chiefs from Grand Bonny established a new kingdom called Opobo in 1870 as a strategic move following a civil war. They chose a location about a day's paddle from their ancestral home that allowed them to establish trading posts with inland communities along the Imo River and coastal communities along the Atlantic Ocean. Under the leadership of their King Jaja, the first Amanyanabo of Opobo, the kingdom quickly became one of the six leading city-states in the Oil Rivers protectorate and its economy grew to prominence in the palm produce trade of the 19th century. King Jaja demonstrated statesmanship and commercial drive in building a flourishing city-state and in struggling against Europe's business

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    189 views1 page

    Jaja of Opobo

    Uploaded by

    Opemipo Olorunfemi
    Chief Jack Annie Pepple and other pioneer Chiefs from Grand Bonny established a new kingdom called Opobo in 1870 as a strategic move following a civil war. They chose a location about a day's paddle from their ancestral home that allowed them to establish trading posts with inland communities along the Imo River and coastal communities along the Atlantic Ocean. Under the leadership of their King Jaja, the first Amanyanabo of Opobo, the kingdom quickly became one of the six leading city-states in the Oil Rivers protectorate and its economy grew to prominence in the palm produce trade of the 19th century. King Jaja demonstrated statesmanship and commercial drive in building a flourishing city-state and in struggling against Europe's business

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    QUESTION 1

    The ancient City State of Opobo stands as a founder’s delight. Chief Jack Annie Pepple and other
    pioneer Chiefs eluded their home in Grand Bonny the heartland of the Ibani people, to establish a
    new kingdom called “Opobo” (English for Opubo-ama, or the Kingdom of Opobo). It was derived
    from the name of legendary King Opubo (1738 – 1830) a celebrated Ibani monarch. Thanks to the
    strategic vision of Chief Jack Annie Pepple, the establishment of Opobo became an economic and
    political master stroke. It went far beyond its immediate cause, which was the 1869 war in Grand
    Bonny between Fubara Manilla group of Houses led by Chief Oko Jumbo and the Opubo Annie
    Pepple group led by Chief Jack Annie Pepple whose Ibani name of JuwoJuwo was rendered as Jaja by
    the British. The legend of Jaja was in the making, on the horn of danger and destruction that would
    have terrified lesser men. Not Jaja. For he turned the crisis of a civil war and defeat in Bonny into a
    great advantage for him and pioneer chiefs of Opobo, with the establishment of a new kingdom.

    Jaja and his group secured a geographical location that reinforced their tactical and diplomatic vision
    as founding fathers. The land stood just about a day’s paddle away from their ancestral Ibani root.
    With it they were set to turn their new kingdom into a unique 19th century bridge for commerce.
    They crowned their leader Chief Jack Annie Pepple (Juwo Juwo) as King Jaja, the first Amanyanabo of
    Opobo Kingdom. They chose December 25, 1870 to establish Opobo. From its location, Opobo easily
    reached out to set up trading posts with land-based farmer communities. There spread out under
    thick foliages of fresh water forests to the left of the kingdom, along the one – way direction of a
    resolute Imo River. The run of the river covered hinterland sections of the Ogoni, Ndoki, Ibibio,
    Annang, Etche, Ngwa and Igbo people. And to its right, the new kingdom followed the tidal sweep of
    the Atlantic Ocean. Opobo traders went through winding rivers and creeks to build business
    interests linking different communities with deft socio-cultural ties that were largely viable. These
    took them into maritime coastal communities of Andoni, Ibibio, and Ibuno among others on the
    south eastern tip of the old Oil Rivers protectorate. This was before colonial Britain seized the Niger
    Delta. The region was later shaped into part of a new political entity called Nigeria, which Britain
    created.

    King Jaja and the founding Chiefs demonstrated tenacity of purpose, statesmanship and commercial
    drive to bring Opobo to international prominence. The Kingdom quickly became one of the six
    leading City States of the Oil Rivers protectorate. Their strategic moves successfully engineered their
    local economy into prime relevance in the Palm Produce trade of 19th Century. Europe designed the
    trade to favour infant industries belonging to its urban merchant class, at the expense of rural West
    African communities.

    Against this economic confrontation, King Jaja earned distinction as a leading entrepreneur and
    nationalist in the struggle against Europe’s business driven political agenda. Together with the
    pioneer Chiefs of Opobo Kingdom, King Jaja built a flourishing City – State that helped to shape
    trade, education and diplomatic relations between European countries and paramount Niger Delta
    Kingdoms. These endeavours helped to define and strengthen the economy of the Niger Delta.

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