With the Media blitz that has greeted the installation of a Chief and Head of the Brown Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State Nigeria, issues embedded in the discourse have started popping up and assuming a life of their own thus eliciting urgent attention and action from relevant stakeholders,

In this interview with the Publisher of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, the immediate Sibidabo (Chairman) of the Brown House Asawo (Men), Tamunotonye Martins-Brown hgihglights some of these issues ranging from the authenticity of the title and status of “Amadabo of Finima” in relation to Ibani (Bonny) tradition and customs, the reality of Bonny remaining one LGA years after its creation, and Bonny LGA having only one government recognized traditional ruler, amongst others. Take a peek!  

Kristina Reports: In an interview with the Chairman of Tobin House, Amasenibo Dagogo Tobin, he debunked all the claims made by the newly installed Chief and Head of the Brown House, asserting that Finima has never had an Amadabo and Finima is not owned by the Brown House. Do you agree with his position?

Tammy Brown: Of course. I am not surprised that a man like Dagogo Tobin will come out in the public and insinuate what I read online that Finima had never had an Amadabo and that Finima is not owned by Buoye Omuso Brown Major House. It is really laughable. What do you expect? Obviously, they are being used by certain quarters in Bonny to test the waters if they can disunite us as a people. Sometimes, I wonder if Dagogo (Tobin) understands Ibani as to know the meaning of Amadabo of Finima. I remember in one of my interviews I made reference to who owns Finima with court judgements as evidences. When he is supposed to be a custodian of our history rather he is the one misleading the public and our younger generation. From time, the Chief and Head of Brown Major House is Paramount Ruler and Amadabo of Finima. Whereas, the Tobin and Attoni Houses are Minor Houses in Finima Community. Please make reference to even the calendar from the (King) Perekule Palace where you will see clearly the Major Houses (Opuwari) and Minor Houses (Kalawari).

Dagogo Tobin knows the truth but because of mischief he will always claim ignorance. Please ask him who the first Chief of Tobin House? I know it was late Chief Samuel Owunabo Tobin of blessed memory. There is an affidavit signed by the then Chief Samuel Owunabo Tobin with Brown House leaders, including Attoni House in support that they are all members of the Brown House.

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In that interview, he also stated that the Brown House are not biologically linked to Kongo, their acclaimed progenitor, that instead it was Opu-Ipuo, a descendant of King Kamalu, that they emanated from. Is this correct?

Talking of biological link to Kongo, Finima, from the time of its founding by Kongo, had always been under the leadership and rulership of Kongo, and his descendants, the ancestors of Omuso, who were then known as “Clan Heads” before the founding and creation of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House Chieftaincy stool, by Omuso. History has all of these on records, please find time and refer.

He also referenced two judgements, one which the Brown House won in 1972 and another which the Tobin House won in 1974, stressing that at some time back in history, the Tobin House was allocating land to members of the Brown Hou…

You should have asked him who leased out the land for the establishment of the crude oil storage and export terminal operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited? And how come the Federal Government discussed with the Brown Major House for Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas project consequent upon which Finima Community was subsequently resettled back to where we are presently settled now, New Finima.

The judgement he was referring to in 1974 was a parcel of land between two individuals, one late Dagogo Igoniwari and Betty Tobin which she won. It has nothing to do with the ownership of Finima Community lands. Fortunately, where Dagogo Tobin is living at the moment is his father’s house, which was Warialabo Airigha Goni Brown’s land. It was given to his late father who was a well-respected elder statesman because he knows and lived with the truth. He worked first with our late Chief I. A. Brown and later joined late Chief Yibo Buowari Brown of blessed memory. I doubt he will deny this too? So, you can see that the ownership of Finima by the Brown House can never be in doubt because they know the truth. In fact, the late Chief Tobin tried all he could in court but the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House won all the cases of ownership of Finima in court and they lost all in our favour.

Another poser he raised in his interview is that the Brown House is a sub house of the Captain Hart House as Adango or Captain Hart made Omuso a chief and presented him to King Fubara and down history lane the Brown House Chief has always been capped by the Chief of Captain Hart House. Can you confirm this?

Obviously, you know that before Perekule became King there were Kings that ruled Bonny, they were all Duawari. More importantly, Hart House was one of the creations of King Perekule and was never a Duawari. So, Hart House cannot claim that mischievous and spurious assertions. The fact that Omuso was rescued by the King upon his identification, and subsequently handed to Captain Hart doesn’t mean Omuso has any allegiances to Hart House and all their claims are not attainable.

But Chief Abel Attoni has corroborated the standpoint of Amasenibo Dagogo Tobin in his assertions about the relationship of the three Houses in Finima…

Chief Abel is someone I respect but surprisingly, he is very quick in making statements when it is coming from his community, Finima, and appears to be opposed to progress concerning Finima. He is gradually losing the respect in Finima and people like us because his recent antecedents, especially, when it comes to the developmental concerns of Finima Community. Again, we understand his situation and so, I won’t want to join issues with him. Saying that we have three chieftaincy houses in Finima doesn’t remove the fact that Brown Major House owns Finima or that we are all equal even when the history is saying that we have the Buoye Omuso Brown as Major and Duawari House and Tobin and Attoni as Minor Houses in Finima. You should ask him which gig took him to Bonny for presentation to Chiefs Council.

He stated unequivocally that the proclamation of your Chief as Amadabo of Finima does not sit well with the norm in Bonny Kingdom and Ibani traditions and customs.

I guess the confusion is the nomenclature Amadabo of Finima. As I know right from childhood, all Chiefs of Buoye Omuso Brown Major House have been Amadabo of Finima; saying that it is rooted in anarchy, chaos and disunity in Finima doesn’t make any meaning to people like us. For me, I think, Dagogo (Tobin) and Chief Abel (Attoni), rather than bothering themselves about Amadabo of Finima, they should be more concerned in asking questions like, Why is Bonny Kingdom still having one Local Government Area while other LGAs have more LGAs created out of them? Why is it that Bonny Kingdom has only one recognized traditional ruler when other LGAs like Kalabari, Okrika, Ogoni, Eleme, etc. have more than one recognized traditional ruler? These are questions we expect from people like them and not to be used to create disaffection amongst the people.

While we are fighting for the development of our community in terms of infrastructures and Human Capacity Development, their own is to be opposing progress in Finima Community but they will not succeed. What contribution have they initiated in their community other than the usual antics; for us to make moves for the benefit of all and they will now make statements. Posterity awaits all of us in the future.