By Jimitota Onoyume
A Christian Bishop placing the royal crown on the head of a traditional ruler to mark his formal ascension to the throne of his forebears captured the attention of most guests during the coronation ceremony in Opobo Kingdom ,Rivers State.
His Majesty, King Charles MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI, had just been formally installed as the sixth Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, with the crown placed on him by the Anglican Bishop of the Niger -Delta Diocese, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Oko-Jaja. The scene, Vanguard gathered was not a departure from Opobo tradition, but a continuation of a royal practice shaped by the kingdom’s early embrace of Christianity.
The day was also a celebration of a kingdom whose history is inseparably linked with the courage, enterprise and struggles of its founder, the legendary King Jaja of Opobo. Established in 1870, the kingdom grew into an important political and commercial centre in West Africa with King Jaja emerging as one of the most influential figures in the 19th Century history of the Niger-Delta .
On that Saturday at the historic King Jaja Square, draped in rich traditional colours, before chiefs, dignitaries and thousands of sons and daughters of Opobo, the new monarch stepped into a throne carrying the weight of generations. He succeeds the late King Dandeson Douglas Jaja and assumes the royal title, Jeki VI.
In his acceptance speech, the monarch connected the past with the future, recalling the historic movement of the Opobo people in 1870 as a journey to freedom.
But, he declared, that the journey before Opobo in 2026 was one anchored in development, unity and global relevance, promising to sustain the honour and pride of the kingdom with justice and truth.
“I pledge before God Almighty, before our ancestors and before the people of the kingdom, I will uphold the dignity of Opobo Kingdom, serve with truth and justice. I will guide the unity of Opobo, protect our heritage and work for the prosperity of Opobo,” the monarch declared.
He further pledged that he would not knowingly bring dishonour to the throne founded through the courage and sacrifice of King Jaja and the early leaders of the kingdom. Then came the line that appeared to define the spirit of the new reign: “The exodus of 1870 was a journey to freedom. Our journey in 2026 is a journey to development, unity and global relevance “, he stressed.
Chairman of the Media /Publicity committee of the event , Dr Ibim Semenitari, later explained to this reporter that the role of the Anglican priest that colorful and memorable day followed an established practice rooted in Opobo and Bonny kingdoms because of their early contact with Christianity.
According to her, senior Anglican priests and Bishops have historically crowned monarchs in the two kingdoms because Christianity became deeply woven into their traditional institutions. She recalled that King William Dappa Pepple of Bonny was among the early noble Christian converts in the Niger-Delta, while St Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny, became the first cathedral and was the See of Bishop Ajayi Crowther.
Semenitari further recalled that her late grandfather, Venerable O.D.C. Brown, then Archdeacon of the Bonny Archdeaconry, placed the crown on King Secondus Pepple, Perekule X, father and predecessor of the present Amanyanabo of Bonny. She also noted that the late Bishop Gabriel Pepple crowned King Dandeson Douglas MacPepple Jaja, predecessor of Jaja VI. Thus, what may have appeared to outsiders as a dramatic twist was in fact, a continuation of a long-standing royal tradition in Opobo.
The explanation gave deeper meaning to the hymn that filled the square moments after the crown was placed on the monarch to signify the formal commencement of his royal journey as His Majesty, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI of Opobo Kingdom.
Former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, in his brief remarks at the event reflected on the historical importance of the Jaja throne. He congratulated the new monarch and acknowledged the place of Opobo and its founding monarch in the history of the Niger-Delta. Jonathan described Opobo as a historic kingdom whose monarchy made significant contributions to Africa’s history.
The coronation also became a gathering of royal fathers. Among those present were His Majesty, King Edward Asimini Dappa Pepple, Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom; His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Agbogidi, Obi of Onitsha; His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, Olu of Warri; His Majesty, Dr Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi I, Dein of Agbor Kingdom; His Majesty Asari Dokubo-Asari, Amanyanabo of the Source, Elem Kalabari (Torusarama Piri) and many more.
The Managing Director of the Niger-Delta Development Commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, was also among the dignitaries. The NDDC chief executive described the coronation as significant for Opobo and the Niger-Delta, stressing the importance of the traditional institution in preserving the kingdom’s identity, heritage and values.
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