Opobo
Nigerian city state
Opobo is a community, and former city-state, in Rivers state, South South region of Nigeria.
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.
01History
Opobo is located to the east of the Kingdom of Bonny. Bonny and Opobo are of the same origin, both associated with the Ndoki people. Jubo Jubogha 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 in Bonny between his followers and those of Chief Oko Jumbo, the leader of the rival Manilla Pepple chieftaincy family.
02Rulers
The rulers of Opobo were:
| 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 2004 | 14 June 2025 | King Dandeson Douglas Jaja V (b. 1947) |
03Notable people
- Kenneth Minimah, CFR, Nigerian infantry soldier and former Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff
- Adawari Pepple, businessman, and former senator
- Atedo Peterside, CON, Nigerian entrepreneur, investment banker and economist
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Opobo”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- King Jaja Opobo statue 2.jpg by Muyiwa OSIFUYE, CC BY-SA 4.0
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