9Pluto:
The Finima part of Bonny local government area has been embroiled in some leadership tussle recently which has unfortunately resulted in some form of bloodshed. While a section of the Brown(Omuso Brown) house has made their claims and installed their so called Amadabo of Finima, another section sought the counsel of the Hart House, got the recognition of His Majesty, The Amanyanabo of Bonny and also capped their own Chief recently. In both cases, supporters of each block have been making reference to one single entity—history. The question is; if both parties are referencing history (a series of past events that happened at a time), why are their claims different from one another?
Well, the simple answer is that Bonny history as well as the history of a vast majority of the riverine people in Rivers State has been continuously falsified. This is despite the fact that they were among some of the earliest southerners in Nigeria to come in contact with Europeans and have most of their history well documented than most other parts of Nigeria. Unfortunately, most people including the youths only go to school routinely but do not read or ask critical questions or conduct their own research.
Parts of the narratives I have listened to about the Finima crisis was from no other person but Asari Dokubo(Ediabali himself). In his account in support of the Amadabo group, he made a lot of claims which include the following:
He questioned King Pepple’s authority over Finima
He practically questioned the Manilla Pepples’s identity in Bonny, claiming they are strangers in Bonny who met Bonny Aborigines
Though I am interested in knowing where these strangers came from, however, I will leave this for the Pepple family to address as there is more than enough historical record on Bonny and its indigenous people devoid of recent Nigerian authored fabrications.
He also talked about Bonny people chasing away some earlier Amanyanabo until Europeans intervened
Truth is no Amanyanabo has ever been deposed in Bonny. Except for maybe the current Kings father who was forced into fleeing Bonny when Isaac Adaka Boro attacked his palace during the civil war, none of the other Kings who abdicated his throne was an Amanyanabo including the Great Jaja of Opobo. Amanyanabo is a recent traditional title.
He claimed Kalabari and Bonny has similar tradition and to a lesser extent Okrika and Nembe
I do not know to what extent he wants to take his claim about Kalabari and Bonny having similar tradition, however Kalabari and Bonny people both have different origin. Truth is Bonny people are of mixed origin and are not people of a single ethnicity. According to Captain Hugh Crow of Liverpool in his memoirs, they were originally a mix of majority Ngwa and Ndoki Igbos(King Pepple, Halliday, Asimini, Hart etc) and Brass people. This is why the igbo language, culture and tradition(masquerades, music, musical instruments, body marks also known as uri) continue to persist in Bonny till tomorrow. Bonny natives were traditionally known to have two short perpendicular tribal marks beside their eyes which is typical of the igbo tribal mark.
Of course, there have been later migrants from both Arochukwu people and parts of Kalabari(who are mostly found in Finima).
He claimed Finima was in existence before Manilla Pepple’s house
Well, most early European accounts of Bonny did not record the existence of Finima community despite the fact that they were already trading with the Pepple’s around the 18th century(1701-1800). This is a significant pointer that Finima community was not in existence during the reign of Opubo the great. In case Asari or any other person would want to come up with all those false narratives about 1500’s, the truth is, Bonny was not in existence then.

Like I said earlier, most parts of the riverine communities (Okrika, Kalabari, Andoni etc) of the current Rivers State are heterogenous in origin. Before the arrival of ijaws east of the Niger delta, some of the most documented people on the east coast were, the Igbos(including the Breetche/mgburuichi), Efiks, Ibibios, Mongs, Quaws, Ottam, Brass and Apias. However, some of this people have been supplanted today. It is on record that a significant section of Okrika(Nwa creek/Wakirike) were igbo who originated from the Afam. Some of them like Asari himself confirmed, still speak the igbo language and in the recent past was ruled by King Ohakwe. The same thing applies to the heterogenous origin of Kalabari(New Calabar). This were originally efik/ibibiod people who later mixed up with igbos and ijaws of which the Ediabali lineage was one of the most influential.
However, what is worrisome in most of these places is the ijaws penchant of falsifying history or records and claiming that most of these localities are exclusively ijaws despite obvious linguistic and cultural differences. Some ijaw revisionists have continued to claim ijaw is the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria ahead of the Efik/Ibibio and Tiv. Meanwhile, it is on record in Awolowo’s speech in 1967 that while the Efik/Ibibio had a population of about 2.5 million people, Ijaws were a mere seven hundred thousand (700,000) people.
Yet several recalcitrant elements from this group have continued to make false claims including recent claims that Ijaws are indigenous to Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia, Akwa-Ibom and Cross-River Sate. Some have even included Ogoja in an as shown in the picture below. One funny thing is that if the so called ijaw groups assemble today, they are going to communicate in English language because a Okrika man would not understand a Gbaramaturu man, a Bonny man would not understand an Ogbia man etc yet ijaws continue to lump people of entirely different origins together under the false ijaw claim. To solve the language confusion, they are proposing the replacement of indigenous languages in some localities while suggesting the formation of a new language by borrowing words from the different groups in the delta to form a new language. The first of such a dubious project in Nigeria.
This is a wake up call to Niger Delta communities in general and Bonny people in particular. The youths most especially need to read and properly research their identity so they would not be conferred a false identity due to false narratives. It is not enough to go to be literate, as one has to be capable of critical thinking and start questioning several false narratives being peddled around in the name of history to avoid the illusory truth effect…in psychology, a situation where you hear the same falsehood over and over again till you begin to believe it.

Ekealterego:
Nawao. This crisis still persists.

IYC/INC are part of the people fuelling the crisis. They are holding on to Finima so strongly as their only claim to owning Bonny. I pity the Grand Bonny (Igbo speaking Bonny) for singing and simping for the Ijaws for so long. Now, their thrown is being threatened.
The IYC and INC have been trying all they could to eradicate the Igbo language for long, even physically threatening them to stop speaking the language. As this did not work, they have resorted to the cheap divide and rule tactics.

Asari himself is a confused and deceitful man. Asari the other day accepted fully that many parts of Okirika were Igbos. In fact, he said when he was little, the areas of Okirika he visited spoke Igbo exclusively as their native tongue. My point is, that he accepts the truth when he serves his agenda and denies it when it doesn't.

Landlord97:
is disheartening that the ijaw Landgrabbers are doing all their dubious activities to take over bonny and Opobo igbo, but history would remember them as failures in their destructive attempts

DitariDisciple2:


If other Niger Deltans tribes, are more than Ijaws, why Wike and so many others are crying that Ijaws are marginalising and oppressing other Niger delta tribes.
If no be population wetin we dey use.

9Pluto:
The Finima part of Bonny local government area has been embroiled in some leadership tussle recently which has unfortunately resulted in some form of bloodshed. While a section of the Brown(Omuso Brown) house has made their claims and installed their so called Amadabo of Finima, another section sought the counsel of the Hart House, got the recognition of His Majesty, The Amanyanabo of Bonny and also capped their own Chief recently. In both cases, supporters of each block have been making reference to one single entity—history. The question is; if both parties are referencing history (a series of past events that happened at a time), why are their claims different from one another?
Well, the simple answer is that Bonny history as well as the history of a vast majority of the riverine people in Rivers State has been continuously falsified. This is despite the fact that they were among some of the earliest southerners in Nigeria to come in contact with Europeans and have most of their history well documented than most other parts of Nigeria. Unfortunately, most people including the youths only go to school routinely but do not read or ask critical questions or conduct their own research.
Parts of the narratives I have listened to about the Finima crisis was from no other person but Asari Dokubo(Ediabali himself). In his account in support of the Amadabo group, he made a lot of claims which include the following:
He questioned King Pepple’s authority over Finima
He practically questioned the Manilla Pepples’s identity in Bonny, claiming they are strangers in Bonny who met Bonny Aborigines
Though I am interested in knowing where these strangers came from, however, I will leave this for the Pepple family to address as there is more than enough historical record on Bonny and its indigenous people devoid of recent Nigerian authored fabrications.
He also talked about Bonny people chasing away some earlier Amanyanabo until Europeans intervened
Truth is no Amanyanabo has ever been deposed in Bonny. Except for maybe the current Kings father who was forced into fleeing Bonny when Isaac Adaka Boro attacked his palace during the civil war, none of the other Kings who abdicated his throne was an Amanyanabo including the Great Jaja of Opobo. Amanyanabo is a recent traditional title.
He claimed Kalabari and Bonny has similar tradition and to a lesser extent Okrika and Nembe
I do not know to what extent he wants to take his claim about Kalabari and Bonny having similar tradition, however Kalabari and Bonny people both have different origin. Truth is Bonny people are of mixed origin and are not people of a single ethnicity. According to Captain Hugh Crow of Liverpool in his memoirs, they were originally a mix of majority Ngwa and Ndoki Igbos(King Pepple, Halliday, Asimini, Hart etc) and Brass people. This is why the igbo language, culture and tradition(masquerades, music, musical instruments, body marks also known as uri) continue to persist in Bonny till tomorrow. Bonny natives were traditionally known to have two short perpendicular tribal marks beside their eyes which is typical of the igbo tribal mark.
Of course, there have been later migrants from both Arochukwu people and parts of Kalabari(who are mostly found in Finima).
He claimed Finima was in existence before Manilla Pepple’s house
Well, most early European accounts of Bonny did not record the existence of Finima community despite the fact that they were already trading with the Pepple’s around the 18th century(1701-1800). This is a significant pointer that Finima community was not in existence during the reign of Opubo the great. In case Asari or any other person would want to come up with all those false narratives about 1500’s, the truth is, Bonny was not in existence then.

Like I said earlier, most parts of the riverine communities (Okrika, Kalabari, Andoni etc) of the current Rivers State are heterogenous in origin. Before the arrival of ijaws east of the Niger delta, some of the most documented people on the east coast were, the Igbos(including the Breetche/mgburuichi), Efiks, Ibibios, Mongs, Quaws, Ottam, Brass and Apias. However, some of this people have been supplanted today. It is on record that a significant section of Okrika(Nwa creek/Wakirike) were igbo who originated from the Afam. Some of them like Asari himself confirmed, still speak the igbo language and in the recent past was ruled by King Ohakwe. The same thing applies to the heterogenous origin of Kalabari(New Calabar). This were originally efik/ibibiod people who later mixed up with igbos and ijaws of which the Ediabali lineage was one of the most influential.
However, what is worrisome in most of these places is the ijaws penchant of falsifying history or records and claiming that most of these localities are exclusively ijaws despite obvious linguistic and cultural differences. Some ijaw revisionists have continued to claim ijaw is the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria ahead of the Efik/Ibibio and Tiv. Meanwhile, it is on record in Awolowo’s speech in 1967 that while the Efik/Ibibio had a population of about 2.5 million people, Ijaws were a mere seven hundred thousand (700,000) people.
Yet several recalcitrant elements from this group have continued to make false claims including recent claims that Ijaws are indigenous to Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia, Akwa-Ibom and Cross-River Sate. Some have even included Ogoja in an as shown in the picture below. One funny thing is that if the so called ijaw groups assemble today, they are going to communicate in English language because a Okrika man would not understand a Gbaramaturu man, a Bonny man would not understand an Ogbia man etc yet ijaws continue to lump people of entirely different origins together under the false ijaw claim. To solve the language confusion, they are proposing the replacement of indigenous languages in some localities while suggesting the formation of a new language by borrowing words from the different groups in the delta to form a new language. The first of such a dubious project in Nigeria.
This is a wake up call to Niger Delta communities in general and Bonny people in particular. The youths most especially need to read and properly research their identity so they would not be conferred a false identity due to false narratives. It is not enough to go to be literate, as one has to be capable of critical thinking and start questioning several false narratives being peddled around in the name of history to avoid the illusory truth effect…in psychology, a situation where you hear the same falsehood over and over again till you begin to believe it.

DitariDisciple2:


Mumu.
Na like so una say Kalabari no B Ijaw.
Asari Don confirm an give una.

Claim bonny and Opobo online E no change anything physical from them being Ijaw and are under all Ijaw sociocultural organisations and not even in one Ibo own till today.

Landlord97:
. Psycho, you are a useless demented fool to call bonny and Opobo ijaws, you and your ditari are beneath me not to talk about the larger Igbo nation you are most useless thing I have seen go get a work rather than being useless about dragging people and land THAT CAN NEVER BE YOURS