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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Culture / Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) (92107 Views)
The British-Ijebu War Of 1892 (The Battle Of Imagbon) / Ooni Of Ogunwusi & King Jaja Of Opobo Pictured / Epic Photo Of King Jaja Of Opobo (2) (3) (4)
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Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 9:38pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Phut: I am sorry. I am only responsible for what I write. I am not responsible for what you comprehend. Keep it moving please. 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Phut(f): 9:43pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: *pats him on the head* Now, that is much better |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by fairheven: 9:44pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Ihuomadinihu: Good thinking ,good product..am always amazed at the height of ignorance regarding SOUth SOUTH an SOUTH EAST brotherhood. Some dudes were arguing yesterday as per who owns a particularly attire a Nigerian rapper was wearing-wether it was East or South an I had to tell the guy that south south and south East had a lot in common ,it was GOWON that divided us. .I mean we were one region,but the "bully" wanted to make sure no drop of oil was found or left in Igbo land an so decided to divide us. Regrettably that seed of discord seems to have grown to an alarming proportion. 4 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 9:49pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Phut(f): 9:51pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: No, 5. Now keep it moving. Hanlele! 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 9:58pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: Exactly..!!! You've eyes but you can't see. What happened after the bristish took over..? Did the farmers benefit from direct access to the British market. Did the bristish not set their own price. Did the bristish let the farmer trade with other countries directly. The end result was still monopoly. From fry pan to fire.. The destructive aspect is that the whiteman now controls the destiny of the so called protectorate. Which has led to the destruction of the independent civilization of King Jaja struggles. There lies his heroism. For he had foresight and he defended it.. 6 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 10:10pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
GooseBaba: What kind of weak argument is this? Jaja was removed, what suggests to you that the traders of Opobo were worse off? |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 10:25pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: *faints*....!!!!! Smh Slippery slope bro, Colonization Happened... Mind you we are not guessing the future. This already happened. The rich african men of that era leading up to 1914 were merchants not farmers. Trickle down economy happened, monopoly continued. The well to do african merchant that dealt directly with bristish businessmen set his own price with the locals. Now from one middle man they now have 2 middle men. Whose profit do you think will be shaved..? Study simple economics.... 5 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by laclass(m): 10:38pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
History 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 10:47pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
GooseBaba: Mate your arguments are just hilarious. Jaja signed away Opobo's sovreignty showing that he was not really opposed to a British Political Takeover. That already rules out your theory that Jaja was some sort of bastion of indigenous rule. The only thing Jaja is recorded opposing is an action that directly impacted on his finances. your trickle down economics theory is not supported by the historical facts. Jaja was not an employer of labour. Jaja was not a producer. Jaja was not creating jobs or wealth. Jaja was not an industrialist. If I am wrong, produce some historical evidence to that effect. Jaja was a wholesaler who forced farmers to sell to him on his terms,before selling that on for a profit. Stop trying to over intellectualize an issue that only calls for common sense. Good business man. Not a Hero 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nobody: 10:56pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
muktar10:wike is nwaike ! Just théy ré changing their names to be less igbo. But we knw that wike is nwaike ezenwo is ezenwa. Ask thé gvr of River states hé knws what am saying. Nde ara. Even your south south dont exist in a World map. Just only in a division map in Nigeria thats where u Will see or here south south. 2 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 11:24pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
My final submission on this article. Goosebaba, have a look at this article authored by Kemi Rotimi, (Ph.D. Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University) and Olukoya Ogen, (Ph.D. Leventis Foundation Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre of African Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London). Not only are the authors very learned in African history, this article appeared in a PAN AFRICAN MAGAZINE Therefore, it is the humble position of this paper that the wars that Jaja and Nana fought were basically trade wars meant for the protection of their trading monopolies. Hence, their greatest significance lies in their roles as entrepreneurs cum super-merchants and not as proto-nationalists. http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol2no7/2.7_JajaAndNana.pdf |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 11:35pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: Lmao!!! The issue here is if he was/ a hero... A good business man who was celebrated by his people and upon his death, they demanded for his remains and have him a kings burial. 7 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 11:40pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: Lmao!!! The issue here is if he was/ a hero... A good business man who was celebrated by his people and upon his death, they demanded for his remains and gave him a kings burial. That tells you that any PHD thesis on the subject matter does not take away his heroic accomplishment. Till this day, he is remembered for his accomplishment by his people for his heroic endeavor. You talk about hostile takeover and you still blame Jaja for protecting his interest. You just dey throw words around anyhow.. 7 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 11:41pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
GooseBaba: Mate Hitler was celebrated by his people so that doesn't mean much. Being a successful businessman does not make you a hero. Otherwise Dangote, Cosmas Maduka, and Theophilus Danjuma are positively heroic. |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 11:45pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
GooseBaba: It seems that, like your friend earlier, you lack comprehension skills. What Blame did I place anywhere? I only pointed that Jaja was solely protecting his interests when he squared up to the British, and not protecting the interest of his people. Was there a hostile takeover? Yes. Did I give him props for being a business man? Yes. Was he a nationalist hero? No |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by peleson: 11:53pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
King Jaja! The King in the SOUTH My King 3 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 11:53pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: Smh, are this people you mentioned representing a people or community..!? In regards to hitler he remains a hero to his people. Go study why he started annexing other european countries. Simple resources control. Germany did not get her share of world War 1. The German economy was in ruins. Hitler simple wanted his share of the bounty. You're not looking at the big picture. After world War 2, what were europeans sharing.? The african bounty. You are looking at the means he used to make him less a hero. But forgetting that he was trying to collect what was due. Why do you think germany was allowed to flourish after world War 2..? Think man... Follow the money. It's all about resources.. 3 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by peleson: 11:58pm On Jul 26, 2015 |
Nihilist: King Jaja was a ruler who protected his people! Call it what ever name u want! Being nationalist or whatever! He signed a treaty with the British Monarch that gave the nigeria state her independence without bloodshed! Nigeria independence would v been 1st in Africa b4 Ghana if not for the north 3 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Elipsis: 12:03am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Nihilist:I really don't get your argument. This is a man who grew from being a mere slave to a King. He then went ahead to establish his own Kingdom and named it himself. From the biography we just read, 14 out of the 18 houses in Bonny left their homes and followed him. The guy didn't stop there. He established a successful business empire and controlled trade along the Imo River region. He built schools for his people that were at par with those in England. He was so powerful that he even lent some of his soldiers to the British to fight the Ashanti people of Ghana. Tales of his deeds reached the Queen herself and she even recognized him personally for it! Then most importantly, he was still able to stand up to the British government when he felt the existence of his people were threatened. All these great feats for a mere slave boy! He may not be a hero to you, but to his people, he surely is one. 12 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 12:04am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Nihilist: You lack foresight. This is an open book discussion and you're still failing. Wealth moved out of the country after he was exiled, Are you expecting him to use supernatural power to negotiate a hostile takeover . You need power and leverage to bargain. A leader that already shows great vision for his people. What did the bristish build after they ruled for 80 years..? Nowadays, a police or soldier dies in the line of duty, he is considered a hero. And a man that defended his vision and lived it, you want to call a greedy businessman.. " smh.. 7 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 12:10am On Jul 27, 2015 |
GooseBaba:That is exactly the point. At no point in history is it recorded that Jaja of Opobo was representing any other interests other than his own during his tete a tete with the British. If You can consider Jaja a hero for protecting his narrow interests, then it follows Dangote and Cosmas are also heroes in their own rights You're veering off into mumbo jumbo territory here now. The Hitler example was to show you how subjective your criteria for the defining a hero was. This is not a discussion Hitler and/or Nazi Germany, but I have to correct you yet again. The treaty of Versailles was punitive, ergo Germany was paying reparation for it's aggression during the great war which it lost. If Germany lost the war, what bounty was Germany and/or Hitler trying to get? Mate your knowledge of history, politics, and economics is suspect The fact that Jaja is celebrated by his people does not make him a hero. He brought immense financial fortitude to his family who continue to rule Opobo today. This hereditary rule of Opobo alone is enough explanation for his deification in those parts. 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by toygod2: 12:11am On Jul 27, 2015 |
ok |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 12:12am On Jul 27, 2015 |
GooseBaba: Great foresight for his people? How? Where? Even presented with informed opinions from learned fellows of the field, backed by historical accounts, you continue to spout utter hogwash. I'm done. |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 12:14am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Elipsis: Read the article again. Then read my post again. Then read this article http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol2no7/2.7_JajaAndNana.pdf I'm done with this. |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Phut(f): 1:31am On Jul 27, 2015 |
GooseBaba: On point! The 1880s witnessed a severe trade depression that ruined some of the European firms trading in the Delta and threatened the survival of others. The surviving firms responded to the situation in two ways. First, they reached an agreement among themselves, though not with complete unanimity, to offer low prices for produce. Second, they claimed the right to go directly to the interior markets in order to sidestep the coastal middlemen and reduce the handling cost of produce. The British firms wanted to get lower prices for the benefit of themselves and themselves alone. Every sensible person knows that the bigger a trade entity is, the bigger its bargaining powers. What the other house should have done is to enter into some sort of trade pact with the Ana Pepple house. Afterall, United we stand and divided we fall. But instead, because of jealousy" and "crabs in a bucket mentality, Manilla Pepple sought to take advantage of The Ana Pepple's house weakness, after the fire. Unfortunately for them, it boomeranged. And here we have people talking about hostile takeovers. Mtcheww! Infact, prior to the fire and the war, most of the houses willingly joined Ana Pepple house when they faced insolvency and such, and this was how Ana Pepple grew until Manilla Pepple came with its palava. Kingship was impossible of attainment for anyone of slave origins in Bonny. Instead he (Jaja) sought another land where he could give full scope to his boundless energies. A master strategist, he relocated in the Andoni country away from the seaboard at a strategic point at the mouth of the Imo river, the highway of trade between the coastal communities and the palm-oil rich Kwa Iboe and Igbo country. There, he survived the initial problems of a virgin settlement as well as incessant attacks of his Bonny enemies. ^^^ The beginnings of King Jaja's Kingdom. 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. Strategic intermarriages. One of the prime ways in which kingdoms are grown. How are civilizations formed? People come together for the greater good. They also give up some rights and freedoms for the greater good. It is laughable to suggest that independent farmers should trade directly with big British corporations that have the backing of the British government. Arrangements such as that would only result in a raping of the people. There was definitely the need for a King and if he bought from his subjects and sold to the British, then so be it. I daresay they would get even worse prices if they tried to stand alone. Its was for this reason that the British sought to overthrow the Indigenous sovereignty, declare a free for all and proceeds with the scramble for Africa. But in the 1880s, the clouds of British imperialism were closing in menacingly on Opobo, the overthrow of indigenous sovereignties having been initiated by John Beecroft, the first British consul to Nigeria (1849-54). British imperialism had begun to assert itself forcefully; British officials on the spot were increasingly ignoring indigenous authorities, while British traders had begun to insist on trading directly with the hinterland palm-oil producers. Ja Ja tackled these formidable problems judiciously and with restraint. 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. made sure that the traders paid their comeys (customs and trade duties) as and when due[/b]. A great leader he was, making sure that they paid customs and trade duties which would inure to the benefit of Opobo people. Yes, King Jaja got rich. But so did the Queen of England. And so that doesn't make him any less of a great and heroic King. On the other hand, the British wanted to overthrown the Indigenous sovereignties, declare it a no mans land, impose their rule and then turn around and tax the same people. How can any Nigerian want this, or be against a system that fought this? The treaty of protection was foisted on King Jaja and the British reneged on their agreement not to take over his country. In July 1884, fearing German intrusion in the Delta, the British consul, Edward Hewett, rushed to the area, foisting treaties of protection on the indigenous sovereignties. With a veiled threat from a man-of-war, Ja Ja too was stampeded into placing his kingdom under British protection. But unlike the other African monarchs, this was not before he had sought explanation for the word "protectorate," and had been assured by the consul that his independence would not be compromised. Hewett wrote to Ja Ja informing him, inter alia (among other things), that: The following year, European powers entered into the Treaty of Berlin which set the stage for the scramble and partition of Africa among themselves, without regard to the wishes of Africans. The treaty provided for free navigation on River Niger and other rivers, such as the Imo, linked to it. On the basis of this, the British consul asserted that British firms were within their rights to trade directly in the interior palm-oil markets. That same year, 1885, Britain proclaimed the Oil Rivers Protectorate, which included Ja Ja's territory. Sending a delegation to the British secretary of states for the colonies to protest these actions by right of the treaty of 1884, Ja Ja's protest fell on deaf ears. A man of his word, he was shocked at Britain reneging on her pledge. Harry Johnston, acting vice-consul, a young hothead anxious to advance his colonial career, imagined that Ja Ja would be a perfect stepping-stone to attain his ambition. Arriving at Opobo on a man-of-war, Johnston invited Ja Ja for a discussion on how to resolve the points of friction between Opobo and the British traders and officials. Said Johnston: Rather than face complete destruction of Opobo, his Kingdom which he had founded, he chose the lesser of two evils; deportation. And this sacrifice among others is what makes him a hero in the eyes of his people. Today, an imposing statue of Ja Ja stands in the center of Opobo with the inscription: To his people he is a King and a hero. And that he shall remain. End of .... 10 Likes 4 Shares |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 1:59am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Nihilist: If you like you done or you cook that one na your own.. Meanwhile, there is something called critical thinking, which you clearly lack. After reading about history do you just accept it without question. So informed opinions can no longer be questioned ba? King Jaja becomes a hero, when his people says so..not when historians point out his tactics of survival, his ego or personal interest. You read but you don't think. 2 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Nihilist: 3:01am On Jul 27, 2015 |
GooseBaba: Mate you really need to stop quoting me out of context. You keep exposing a lack of intelligence, and comprehension skills. If at this stage in the discussion, you are contending that Jaja was a hero merely because his 'people' say so, then you are so far back mentally, there is no point trying to drag you along. I'm done with this. 1 Like |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by GooseBaba: 3:07am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Nihilist: And you say he is not a hero with what measurement..!? 2 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Benaiah1: 4:30am On Jul 27, 2015 |
When will Nigerians learn to celebrate their own ![]() Anyway, I pray we see even better Nationalists in this generation and the ones to come. 2 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by thoth: 7:03am On Jul 27, 2015 |
if histories like this are taught very comprehensively in school maybe Nigerians and Africans will have more sense to always suspect the whiteman and his Denonic plans. 3 Likes |
Re: Hero:king JAJA OF OPOBO Full Biography,history Battle With The British(pictures) by Maghan37: 7:06am On Jul 27, 2015 |
Thanks 4 d article I gained a lot. I admire Jaja's intelligence but @ d same time. I dislike is actions of sending troopS 2 take over an African city stae. 2 Likes |
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