- Opobo
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Opobo — Traditional state — Ijaw States, including Opobo
Coordinates: 4°30′41″N 7°32′24″E / 4.51139°N 7.54°ECoordinates: 4°30′41″N 7°32′24″E / 4.51139°N 7.54°E Country 
NigeriaState Rivers State Government - Amanyanabo Daneson Douglas Jaja V Time zone WAT (UTC+1) Opobo is a traditional state in southern Nigeria. The state was founded in 1870. A part of the traditional state is now Ikot-Abasi in Akwa Ibom State.
Contents
History
Opobo was to the east of the Kingdom of Bonny. A former slave called Jubo Jubogha (known as "Ja-Ja" to Europeans) led the Anna Pepple house of Bonny. In 1870, Jaja arrived in Opobo from Bonny, moving due to a dispute with chief Oko Jumbo, the leader of the rival Manilla Pepple family.[1] Jaja overpowered the indigenes and formed what he called "Kingdom of Opobo" which he named for Opobo the Great, a Pepple King in Bonny that reigned 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 4 miles southwest of the Opobo River. The European traders called him King Jaja. Jubo Jubogha was never on good terms with the Annang and the Ibibio to the east, as Jaja declared himself as the middle-man in palm Oil trading, thus asking them to stop trading directly with the European. This resulted in a war (Ikot Udo Obong War) between Jaja and the Annang and Ibuno people as recorded by Nair.[2] In 1887, he was deceived when he was told to go and negotiate with the Queen of England by the British and sent on exile to Saint Vincent in the West Indies.
Rulers
The rulers of Opobo were:[3]
Start End Ruler 25 December 1870 September 1887 Jubo Jubogha "Jaja I" (b. 1821 - d. 1891) September 1887 1891 Perekule (chairman Council of Chiefs) 1891 1893 "Cookey Gam" (political agent) 1893 12 October 1915 Obiesigha Jaja II (Frederick Sunday) 1916 1936 Dipiri (Arthur Mac Pepple) 1936 1942 Sodienye Jaja III (1st time) (Douglas Mac Pepple) (d. 1980) 1942 1946 Stephen Ubogu Jaja IV (acting) 1952 31 July 1980 Sodienye Jaja III (2nd time) (Douglas Mac Pepple) 1980 2002 Vacant 1 October 2002 Daneson Douglas Jaja V (b. 1947) References
- ^ G. I. Jones (2001). The trading states of the oil rivers: a study of political development in Eastern Nigeria. James Currey Publishers. p. 15ff. ISBN 0852559186. http://books.google.ca/books?id=pIR-mgBiJ-gC&pg=PA15.
- ^ Cf. Nair, 1972, page 183
- ^ "Traditional States of Nigeria". World Statesmen. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Nigeria_native.html. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- 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
- "Pictures of Ikot Abasi". Picsearch. http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/travel/cities/africa/west-central%20africa/nigeria/cities%20a-l/ikot%20abasi.html. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
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.
Categories:- Ijo States
- Opobo people
- Populated places in Rivers State
- Nigerian traditional states
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