......DOWN BELOW GOING! GOING!!.......
There are strong indications that Opobo may not regain ownership of its once famous fishing port popularly called Down Below.
Down Below fishing port was gutted by a strange fire in 1991 and Opobians including Ghanaian fishermen fled the island after a confrontation with nearby Andoni neighbours.
The mysterious inferno led to loss of lives and properties as many thriving businesses on the fishing port relocated to Opobo and the Ghanaian fishermen temporarily based in Opobo main town.
Shortly after, it was learnt the ownership of the port had been under contention since Opobo had overseen the affairs of the area since pre-colonial times when the port was referred to "Norah Beach", the first port in Eastern Delta before its relocation to Egwanga established by King Jaja as his trade base.
It is worthy of note that Egwena was where luggard luggard lived all hislife in the area called nigeria today.the building he stayed in still stands till date. It was in Egwenga that he nurtured and executed the amalgamation of nigeria. Luggard went up north and established a strategic quarters at the centre of thearea caled nigeria today so him and his men could control resources easily from north to south.such offices for administration was located somewhere in Niger state and lokoja in Kogi. The port at Opobo kingdom serves as the gate way through wish the british and other Europeans could travel.
After the palm oil trade faded away, the Island gradually turned into a fishing port attracting various tribes, especially the Ilaje Yoruba fishermen and later Ghanaians.
The flourishing fishing business in the area attracted jealousy from neighbours who claim the place was theirs, and the little skirmish that sparked the strange fire alleged to have been set off by the quarrel over land ownership.
Another version has it that an oil well located in Opobo South owned by Totalfina/ELf near the fishing port may have started the quarrel over the fishing port. This may have led to the attack to uproot Opobians in the area.
Later the matter was referred to the State Boundary Adjustment Commission under the office of deputy governor at the time.
Sometime in 2012, Opubowatch learnt the place was listed among Andoni territory by then Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area.
Currently, Opubowatch learnt that the matter is in the court, but when the paper visited the port recently the land has been eaten by ocean surge and new occupants even the fishing business has greatly reduced.
History has it that on April 5, 1873, the King Jaja established the port as a base for ships trading along the Opobo River. King Jaja made it a barring any ship to come higher up the river than the white man's beach opposite Hippopotamus Creek, near DownBelow. If any trading ship or steamer proceeds further up the river than the creek above mentioned, after having been duly warned to the contrary, the trading ship or steamer would be seized by King Ja Ja, and detained until a fine of 100puncheons was paid by the owners to King JaJa.
Between 1905 and 1907 the European firms had established firmly at Down Below only to later move to the present site at Egwanga (now called Ikot Abasi). Having given a guarantee to the chiefs of Opobo that the new station would be called "Opobo", the Chiefs reacted when afterwards they discovered that imported commodities were marked "Egwanga" and insisted a return to the name "Opobo" and the European complied.
At this time Government headquarters was at Norah Beach diametrically opposite Down Below but by 1907 removed the consulate to Egwanga (Opobo). The place where we presently have the seat of the local government called Local Government Offices, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State.

Nigeria Federal Government, ministry of culture and tourism should not fold their hands and allow this piece of history to sink like the Atlantis.