At the second anniversary of his installation as Chief and Head of the Buoye Omuso Brown House and proclamation as Amadabo of Finima, Aseme Alabo Dagogo Lambert Brown, Kongo XVII has formally constituted the Finima Council of Chiefs as well as expanded the Buoye Omuso Council of Wari-Alapu.

Aseme Alabo Brown made these declarations on Friday, January 12, 2024 during a series of events to mark his second year on the stool of Omuso in Finima, Bonny LGA, Rivers State.

He announced that the Abobo, Adum, Akpa, Cross, Dupuyo, Eli, Goni, Goro, Iyariari, Sughu, Owupele, Ogbulubim, Owari, Papanye family units now constitute the Buoye Omuso Brown House Council of Wari-Alapu, while in addition to the Attoni and Tobin Minor Houses, jointly constitute the Finima Council of Chiefs.

He went further to declare their current Heads as Chiefs of Minor Houses, though he told Kristina Reports over the telephone that the Finima Council of Chiefs would only go operational when the Attoni and Tobin Houses have substantive Chiefs.

Both houses have their chieftaincy stools under contention due to litigations. Both are currently administered by their respective Council of Elders.

“Having done due consultation with my Council of Warialapu on the impactful contributions of these sub-family units to the growth of the House and Community since over a century ago, I, therefore, in my capacity as the Amadabo of Finima, hereby upgrade and formally pronounce these sub-family units as Minor Chieftaincy Houses in the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House of Finima, with their subsisting Heads as Substantive Chiefs and Heads of their respective Houses.”

“Accordingly, all Chiefs and Heads of the Minor Chieftaincy Houses, so pronounced in Finima shall now constitute the Finima Council of Chiefs and are expected to submit within fourteen days, lists of names of their respective sub-family units (Burusu) to the office of the Amadabo of Finima.”

He had earlier announced the upgrade of Abobo and Ogbulubim families from units within their parent sub-family units to full subfamily units with stools in the BOBH Council of Wari-Alapu.

He also pronounced the upgrade of the Adum sub-family unit as well her head as a substantive Chief and Head of Adum-Brown Chieftaincy House of Finima, pointing out that it was a misnomer for the Adum House to be abandoned for several years even when it was listed in Appendix B of the Adams Intelligence Report on administration of the Bonny Native Authority 1936 alongside Attoni House as category A Minor Houses.

“Amadabo-in-Council also viewed the abandonment of the old-aged Sub-Chieftaincy Stool of Adum House as very serious injury that must first of all be internally revived sustainably; considering that the complete extinction of this documented and authenticated narrative of our history will amount to self-inflicted denials and permanent loss of heritage.”

“With reference to Appendix B of the Adams Intelligence Report on administration of the Bonny Native Authority 1936; Adum and Attoni were vividly captured as Minor Houses in category A to the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House of Finima. Therefore, Adum sub Chieftaincy House still being left with no contemporary Chief is highly erroneous and a misnomer.”

“Therefore, by the authority vested on me as the Amadabo of Finima, being the Chief and Head of the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House of Finima, having had due consultation with my Council of Warialapu, hereby reaffirm and pronounce the subsisting Head of Adum (Tamunobere) sub-family unit as Substantive Chief and Head of Adum-Brown Chieftaincy House of Finima – consistent with Appendix B of the Adams Intelligence Report on administration of the Bonny Native Authority 1936.”

He stated that rejigging the BOBH family structure and Finima Community leadership structure, aside strengthening the leadership spectrum of the House and Community, also rewards the invaluable contributions of the respective ancestors and families of the upgraded sub-family units.

Speaking to Kristina Reports, President of the Finima Women Association, Priye Kabaka-Ehuwa, stated that in the two years he has been on the saddle in as Amadabo of Finima in Bonny Kingdom, Aseme Alabo Dagogo Lambert Brown has worked assiduously eradicate poverty in the community.

“Immediately he took over as the Amadabo of Finima, he said in our local dialect “Simini famam”, that means poverty is over in Finima Community, and, indeed, if you walk around in Finima, you will see the changes all over the place.”

“It is actually visible that you can see, I know it is not something that can be done just once, gradually he changes at every aspect both the health aspect, Education aspect.

Also speaking, Chairman of the 2nd Anniversary Organizing Committee, Diepiri Fibereseima expressed his enthusiasm about the reign of the Amadabo and how he has assailed the challenges he has faced so far.

“I’m happy, even if I make a mistake here now, everyone in attendance will correct me, because it was elaborately mentioned during the occasion.”

“He has been able to award scholarship to many big boys and girls of Finima home and abroad that are locally in Nigeria, Rivers State and abroad.”

On her part, Secretary of Finima Women Association (FIWA), Linda Martins-Brown said that the Amadabo of Finima has been able to engender unity of youths among the various Houses that make up Finima in the past two years and also restore the peace in the community.

“For the past two years now, he has been so good. He has brought peace into this community and we thank God today we are experiencing what he hoped for, we are seeing it in the Brown, the Tobin House that we are up together and now enjoying ourselves”.

“Recently, we have some doctors that came in to Save-A-Life to take care of the people in Finima Community. We have some of our children outside the country that have gone for their Master’s degree and we have our students all around that are collecting their Bursary on yearly bases so it is just going on and on”.

Highpoint of the anniversary, which had in attendance visiting traditional rulers, heads of various sub houses of the Buoye Omuso Brown House, amongst others, was display by various masquerade groups, special presentations and goodwill messages from some special guests.