The sights of eye-catching multi-storey buildings greet you as you make your way into Opobo town. Whether you decide to come in through the community’s vast but dilapidated jetty or its newest entry point at the other end, courtesy of an ongoing road project linking the ancient kingdom to the outside world through Nkoror, its nearest neighbouring town, the sight is the same beautiful structures squeezed into every available space welcomes you into the town.
Until recently when vehicles and motorcycles could go into Opobo from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, or other parts of the country through Bori in Ogoniland and navigating through Nkoror before getting to the community, residents and visitors had to rely on speed boats operating at either Kono waterside in Bori or the jetty at Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, to get to the town. Apart from the financial burden of such trips on the pockets of the people, the risk they had to contend with while on the sea, made moving in and out of Opobo a difficult task. But the arrival of the road even though it has yet to be completed, has made life a lot easier for people going to the place. It has brought some sort of relief to them.
One of the earliest Nigerian communities to come in contact with Europeans, there are indeed many things that make Opobo a peculiar place. Besides being the homeland of the legendary merchant trader King Jaja, originally known as Jubo Jubogha; the area used to be a vibrant commercial centre in the coastal part of Rivers State and indeed the Niger Delta region, according to history. But beyond that, Opobo is also home to taboos of all kinds; some of them unique to the people of this island community.
Dogs are not allowed in Opobo
A recent visit to the area by our correspondent revealed how its people have lived with several age-long taboos, preserving and transferring the same from generations to generations.
For instance, while in many communities across Nigeria, the presence of dogs is a common feature; in Opobo, such is forbidden. According to findings by our correspondent, the tradition, which has its roots in ancient times, is one of the most important taboos the people of this coastal town hold on to. While people are free to bring in dog meat to eat in their homes whenever they feel like, they are not allowed to keep dogs as pets or bring such into the community. For those, who flout this grand rule, the penalty is usually grave.
“If there are people who love to eat dog meat, they have to go to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State to do so. They cannot bring it into this community,” Christian Apiafin, a 71-year-old retired warrant officer of the Nigerian Army, said. “It has been so since the time of our forefathers. We have not allowed dogs into Opobo. We have carried that tradition up to this time.
“In 2015, a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, mistakenly visited Opobo with sniffer dogs. Everybody was annoyed.
“If it were a less important person, the punishment would have been meted out to him on the spot. Instead, we held Dakuku Peterside (current Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency) and the king of the town responsible and they provided what the town demanded cleansing.
“If such a person was discovered by less reasonable individuals, they could be mobbed to death for bringing a dog into Opobo,” he added. That is not all. In Opobo, one is not allowed to shoot a gun. Also, individuals are forbidden from wearing caps while passing through the gateway linking one compound to another.
The gateways are a small roofed passage, just like a tunnel, connecting one compound to another. On the floor of such gateways is a crossbar, which those passing are forbidden from stepping foot on. According to findings by our correspondent, adhering to this rule while passing through the place is a mark of respect for the chief of a particular compound, which is also referred to as war canoe house. Flouting any of these rules attracts severe sanctions.
Making noise at night is forbidden in Opobo town
But while these taboos could be said to hold sway during the daytime, other sets of unusual ones rule the land at nighttime. For example, while it is not uncommon to hear giant loudspeakers blaring music at hundreds of decibels at night time with a cacophony of voices providing background percussion in other communities; in Opobo, such is totally forbidden. Making any form of noise at night is one of the biggest offences anyone can commit in this island community. You could be labelled an enemy of the town.
It’s taboo to quarrel at nighttime
Similarly, quarrelling and fighting in the night is taboo here as well. Regardless of how provoked you are, you must wait till the break of dawn to vent your anger on whoever has provoked you. Breaking any of these rules attracts a fine of N7,000 each, according to findings by our correspondent.
“We do not joke with our culture and tradition in Opobo,” he began. “For instance, those who bring dogs here are made to pay through their noses. When former Governor Amaechi came in with dogs, those who brought him in were made to pay up to N1.5m for us to appease the land.
“Without cleansing the land, people would experience what they had never seen before. In Opobo, we don’t fight in the night. Once you do that, you’ll be made to pay a fine. “We don’t make a noise in the night. This is so because it was in the night that our enemies attacked us when we were at Bonny. “So, to avoid a repeat of the same thing, we do not make a noise at night so that we can hear when our enemies are coming because they mostly attack at night.
“Also, you cannot pound any food or break firewood in the night. Starting from 7 pm, you can’t even quarrel. The fine for fighting at night is N7,000 and each person involved will pay the amount. “This practice has been promoting peace and unity in this community from generation to generation. It is as a result of this that Opobo is one of the most peaceful places in Nigeria today,” he said. It was however learnt that residents could suspend whatever disagreements they have with one another and resume quarrelling in the morning.
Like most communities in the Niger Delta region where different practices are governing the transition to womanhood and becoming a ‘certified’ wife; in Opobo, there is an important criterion a potential bride must fulfil for her to be recognized by other women in the town. Locked in a fattening room for at least one week, depending on the financial strength of the groom and his family, such ladies are equipped with relevant skills on how to keep a happy home by older and more experienced women. Upon coming out from the place, an elaborate ceremony is held to celebrate and usher such a bride into womanhood. It is only after fulfilling this condition that such a woman is allowed to tie a wrapper called ‘George’ around her waist. This, according to findings by our correspondent, is like a mark of certification by the entire community.
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