Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara emphasised the importance of the Opobo people in the history of the Ijaw struggle while claiming complete Ijaw heritage.
In a meeting with the Regent and Kalabari Se Kobiri members on Friday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Governor Fubara refuted rumours circulating in some circles that he is not of Ijaw ancestry.
He emphasised that those who make such assertions are ignorant of the historical struggle that gave rise to the Ijaw people’s renowned reputation.
“Go back to their history lessons, whoever is giving you that material. Fubara said, “You cannot discuss the Ijaw struggle without including the Opobo, the Bonny, and the Kalabari.
“We had our trade lines back then, and the fact that you are occupying a trade line indicates that you are a true Ijaw man,” he continued. For the record, I am an Ijaw man to the core of my being, full blooded.
According to the governor, the Ijaw people are fearless, brave, and honest individuals who, in spite of cruel treatment, refused to give in to the temptation of being sold into slavery during the enslavement era.
He stressed that his one core concept is that God’s will alone is ultimately what matters in all situations, whether they are favourable or unfavourable, successful or unsuccessful.
Following the death of their monarch, late King Theophilus J.T. Princewill, he clashed with the Kalabari people, telling them that the state government would take part in the funeral arrangements and urging them to set aside their differences in order to provide the late king with a dignified burial.
Theophilus J.T. Princewill, Amachree XI, The Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of the Kalabari Kingdom, passed away, and the governor was formally asked to attend the funeral, according to Dr. Charles Numbere Princewill, the regent of Kalabari Kingdom, who made this announcement during his address. He asked for greater support from the governor and thanked him for the previously provided.
Governor Fubara, in the words of Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), “has shown so much love towards the Kalabari people and committed to giving their late Amanyanabo a befitting burial.”
