Edith CHUKU
On September 26, all roads will lead to Opobo Kingdom for the coronation of the Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI.
Traditional rulers, political leaders, business executives and the people of Opobo Kingdom from across Nigeria and beyond, will gather for the historic ceremony.
MacPepple Jaja’s emergence as the Amanyanabo-Elect followed the death of King Dandeson Douglas Jaja.
Among prominent guests expected to grace the event is the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Jonathan affirmed his attendance to the event on Wednesday, when he received the Amanyanabo and members of the Opobo Council of Alapu at his residence in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during engagements ahead of the coronation.
While accepting the invitation, the former president described Opobo as a historic kingdom, noting that its monarchy had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s history.
His words: “Opobo Kingdom is a place with history, and this visit is a big honour. We will come to honour you back.”
He congratulated the Amanyanabo and acknowledged the importance of the Opobo throne to the history of the Niger Delta.
On his part, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja said the visit was intended to rub minds on issues of common interest in the region and to formally invite the former president, a foremost ijaw son and Nigerian leader.
“We cannot coronate an Opobo monarch without coming to see you.”
The coronation will take place on Saturday, September 26, as the main event of a ten-day programme scheduled for September 18 to 27.
The Opobo monarchy was established by King Jaja of Opobo, who became a major political and commercial authority in the nineteenth-century Niger Delta.
Following the Bonny civil conflict of the late 1860s, Jaja and his compatriots established Opobo as an independent political and commercial centre, developing a trading network and exercising significant influence over the palm-oil trade between the Niger Delta hinterland and the Atlantic coast.
Britain then entered into a commercial treaty with Jaja in 1873, formally recognising him as King of Opobo. Jaja later clashed with British commercial and imperial interests and was arrested and exiled in 1887, an episode that remains part of the history of colonial relations in the Niger Delta.
King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja became Amanyanabo-Elect following the death of King Dandeson Douglas Jaja and is scheduled to be formally crowned Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom on September 26.
