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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Culture / Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo (36867 Views)
Photos Of King Square/Oba's Palace Benin In Preparation For Obas Coronation / Alake Of Egbaland Arriving At Coronation Of King George VI Of England In 1937 / Ooni Of Ogunwusi & King Jaja Of Opobo Pictured (2) (3) (4)
Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by 247frolic(m): 10:41am On Jun 10, 2016 |
Jaja of Opobo, Nigerian Entrepreneurial Statesman (1821-1891) http://www.newshelm.com/2016/06/epic-photo-of-king-jaja-of-opobo.html 13 Likes 5 Shares
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Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by adedayourt(m): 10:44am On Jun 10, 2016 |
His songs are evergreen . I love all his album soo much 27 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by delishpot: 10:52am On Jun 10, 2016 |
His story is an interesting one. But the British just had to destroy every good dream for profit and so they did with him 12 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by sheedy407(m): 1:03pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
I just like this man cos i can vividly remember how he helped me during my assignment in our class then 103 Likes 5 Shares |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by sheedy407(m): 1:03pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
' 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by sukkot: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
make i book space. i smell tribal war in this thread why the nigga no wear shoe though ? 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Nobody: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Who em epp? 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by coobboy(m): 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
My man 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Akynzodeighbour(m): 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
what is epic about it? 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by omaiyale: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Who e be 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by IntroVAT: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
King Jaja of Opobo flung himself down in a lonely mood to think... 9 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Odunharry(m): 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by lekjons(m): 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
"EPIC".. some people needs to be taught how to use the word 14 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by queensay: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
ode 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by reverendfather: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
men of old. |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by topeifedayo: 1:04pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
I love the name "Jaja of Opobo" 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by MrKong: 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
In this present time and economy, King Jaja of Opobo would most likely be a ponmo seller 12 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by blaquemyc: 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
history class |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Bushesbae(f): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
King jaja of opobo, senibo come and see your king 2 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Odunharry(m): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
He was the first known Nigerian richest man, nationalist, a merchant prince and the founder of Opobo city-state which now forms part of Nigeria`s River State. Jaja whose real name was Mbanaso Okwaraozurumbaa was also a savvy political and military strategist, brought to the Bonny Kingdom as a slave, who was perhaps the most troublesome thorn in the flesh of 19th-century British imperial ambition in southern Nigeria. EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND Jubo Jubogba, also known as Jo Jo Ubam by the Igbo and as Jaja of Opobo, first, by the Europeans and later by most people, was born about 1821 at Úmuduruõha, Amaigbo village in the Orlu district, now Imo State of Eastern Nigeria (Isichei 1976:98). At birth he was given a native Igbo name Mbanaso Okwaraozurumba and was the third son of his parents, the Okwaraozurumba. According to different oral sources, Jaja was sold into slavery in the Niger Delta under circumstances which are far from clear. One version of the oral traditions says that he was sold because, as a baby, he cut the upper teeth first, an abominable phenomenon in traditional Igbo society. Another version claims that he was captured and sold by his father's enemy. Regardless, he was bought by Chief Iganipughuma Allison of Bonny, by far the most powerful city-state on the Atlantic coast of Southeastern Nigeria before the rise of Opobo. To follow the Ja Ja story or, indeed, revolution, an explanatory note is necessary. Until the end of the 19th century, the Delta communities played a crucial role in European and American trade with Nigeria. Acting as middlemen, these communities carried into the interior markets the trade goods of European and American supercargoes stationed on the coast and brought back in exchange the export produce of the hinterland, basically palm oil. As the Delta is dominated by saline swamps and crisscrossed by a labyrinth of creeks and rivers, the canoe was indispensable for trade. The Delta society was organized in Canoe Houses. A Canoe House was the pivot of social organization and also, notes K.O. Dike, "a cooperative trading unit and a local government institution." It was usually composed of a wealthy merchant (its founder), his family, and numerous slaves owned by him. A prosperous house could comprise several thousand members, both free and bonded, owning hundreds of trade canoes. In this intensely competitive society, leadership by merit - not by birth or ascriptions - was necessary if a house was to make headway in the turbulent, cut- throat competition that existed between houses. Any person with the charisma and proven ability, even if of servile birth, could rise to the leadership of a house, but could never become king. Ja Ja would achieve this, and much more. Finding young Ja Ja too headstrong for his liking, Chief Allison made a gift of him to his friend, Madu, a chief of the Anna Pepple House, one of the two houses of the royal family (the other being the Manilla Pepple House). Ja Ja was slotted into the lowest rung of the Bonny slave society ladder, that of an imported slave, distinct from that of someone who was of slave parentage but born in the Delta. As a youth, he worked as a paddler on his owner's great trade canoes, traveling to and from the inland markets. Quite early, he demonstrated exceptional abilities and business acumen, quickly identified with the Ijo custom of the Delta, and won the hearts of the local people as well as those of the European supercargoes. It was unusual for a slave of his status to make the transition from canoe paddling to trading, but Ja Ja - through his honesty, business sense, and amiability - soon became prosperous. For a long while, Ja Ja turned his back on Bonny politics, concentrating his immense energies on accumulating wealth through trade, the single most important criterion to power in the Delta. At the time, Bonny politics were volatile as a result of the irreconcilable and acrimonious contest for supremacy between the Manilla Pepple House and the Anna Pepple House to which Ja Ja belonged. Coincidentally, both houses were led by remarkable characters of Igbo slave origins - Oko Jumbo of the Manilla House and Madu (after him Alali his son) of the Anna House. In 1863, Alali died, bequeathing to his house a frightening debt of between £10,000 and £15,000 owed to European supercargoes. Fearing bankruptcy, all of the eligible chiefs of the house declined nomination to head it. It was therefore a great relief when Ja Ja accepted to fill the void. With characteristic energy, he proceeded to put his house in order by reorganizing its finances. Conscious that the palm-oil markets in the hinterland and the wealth of the European trading community on the coast constituted the pivot of the Delta economy, he ingratiated himself with both sides. In a matter of two years, he had liquidated the debt left behind by his predecessor and launched his house on the path of prosperity. When less prosperous and insolvent houses sought incorporation into the Anna House, Ja Ja gradually absorbed one house after another. For 18 years, Ja Ja ruled his kingdom with firmness and remarkable sagacity. He strengthened his relations with the hinterland palm-oil producers through judicious marriages and blood covenants which bound the parties into ritual kingship. He armed his traders with modern weapons for their own defense and that of the state. He thus monopolized trade with the palm-oil producers and punished severely any community that tried to trade directly with the European supercargoes. In 1873, the British recognized him as king of independent Opobo, and Ja Ja reciprocated by sending a contingent of his soldiers to help the British in their war against the Ashanti kingdom in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Queen Victoria expressed her gratitude in 1875 by awarding him a sword of honor. It seemed a honeymoon had developed between Opobo and Britain. Ja Ja's reign has been described as a striking instance of selective modernization. He retained most of the sociopolitical and cultural institutions of Bonny, such as the house system, and stuck steadfastly to the religion of his fathers, arguing that Christianity was a serious ferment of societal destabilization. While recognizing the value of Western education and literacy, he objected to its religious component. Thus, he sent his two sons to school in Scotland but insisted they acquire only secular education. He established a secular school in Opobo and employed an African-American, Emma White, to run it. An Englishman who visited Opobo in 1885 stated that the standard of the pupils in the school compared quite favorably with that of English children of the same age. The honeymoon between Ja Ja and the British turned out to be meteoric: the ultimate ambitions of the two ran at cross-purposes. Ja Ja guarded his independence jealously, had a tight grip on the interior markets and confined British traders to Opobo, away from these markets. He made sure that the traders paid their comeys (customs and trade duties) as and when due. www.takemetonaija.com/2015/07/nigerian-hero-king-jaja-of-opobo-full.html?m=1 38 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Adatob(m): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Jaja of Opobo I heard his name first from M.I Abaga |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by SleekyGee(m): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Wow, thank God see person wey don epp people, watin concern me with twins (last post) King jaja of opobo rest in peace Sir 2 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by peter1994(m): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
He really flexed during his time 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by encryptjay(m): 1:05pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Someone should brief me on his story I don forget I know how Google but I believe a Nairalander will help me 2 Likes
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Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by hucienda: 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
HRM King Jaja! Rivalling Queen Victoria #Respect 3 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by GenWOJUOLA(m): 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
The white men are the greatest destroyers and creators to have ever existed on planet earth 3 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by salabscholar01(m): 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Infinitikoncept(m): 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Read the story in one Macmillan primary 3 or 4 back then. Can't even remember what he did. 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by dragonking2: 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
Jaja of opobo was great when he came and learnt the ways of Nigerdeltans...Nice one 1 Like |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by olaezebala: 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
IntroVAT: It was true he was a Monarch and wore a crown.. 2 Likes |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by Hysmady(m): 1:07pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
The man no smell 20th,21th century life sha...19th century man #Kingin |
Re: Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo by ErnieSmallzz(f): 1:07pm On Jun 10, 2016 |
And so?. 4 Likes
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