It was funfair, razzmatazz and glitterati across the length and breadth of Bille Kingdom in Rivers State, Nigeria at the weekend as the crème-de-la-crème of society converged on the island community to witness the coronation of its new traditional ruler.
On hand to witness the epochal event, were the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, His Eminence, King Edmund Daukoru, CON, Mingi XII, the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward William Dappa Pepple III, CON, Perekule XI, and the Emir of Dass, Bauchi State, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Usman Othman. Others present were; Chief Operating Officer Upstream, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Adokiye Tombomieye, and a former House of Representatives Member of Ikwerre/Emuoha constituency, Chidi Nwiyioka, among several other dignitaries.
The Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, whose role in the coronation was said to be culturally important to the people of Bille, mobilized a sensitive delegation cutting across all layers of the Bonny’s traditional institution, and led by the Vice Chairman, Bonny Chiefs’ Council, Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple, together with the Chiefs and Heads of Finecountry and Christy-Wilcox, Se-Alapu Leslie Finecountry and Golden Christy-Wilcox, respectively; a former Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Bonny LGA, Benjamin Ibietonye, Bonny Kingdom Woman Leader, Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple, member of the Bonny Kingdom Local Content Compliance Committee (BKLCCC), Torudoghubo Jamaica, Chief Security Officer, Sonny Pepple, and Chief of Protocol, Reginald Hart, of the King Perekule Palace, and Bonny Kingdom Youth Leader, Emmanuel Finecountry, among others.
His Majesty, King Igbikingeri Ngowari Cornelius Herbert was coronated as the Agbaniye-Jike XVIII of Bille Kingdom. He had previously been selected through a special process on December 12, 2020, after the 12 years old death of the 17th traditional ruler, King Justus Henry Igolima-Dappa in the Easter season of 2009.
Delivering his goodwill message, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike announced the upgrade of the Agbaniye-Jike stool from its third class status to second class with immediate effect.
The Governor, who was represented by a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Austin Opara, further praised the people of Bille Kingdom for their unity, forthrightness and sustained drive for development, promising that the collective requests presented to him which included road access and networks in the area would be given expedited consideration.
His Eminence, King Daukoru, who is also the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Nigeria LNG, congratulated the newly coronated Amanyanabo of Bille Kingdom, noting that his wide acceptance by his people should underscore a call to render selfless and value-oriented service and strive to take Bille Kingdom to the next level.
His Majesty, King Agbaniye-Jike XVIII, who has distinguished himself as a man with a passion to affect lives through service, is a Fellow Chattered Accountant (FCA) and a Certified Forensic Accountant of Nigeria (CFAN) with several years antecedent in the fiscal prudence, resource management, corporate governance and the academia.
Upon his crowning by Rt. Rev. Adokiye Fenibo, the Amanyanabo promised to focus on “creating a conducive atmosphere for individual and collective pursuit of happiness, as well as fostering peace, enlightenment and freedom that will culminate in the sustainable development of Bille Kingdom”.
He called on “the Federal Government, Rivers State, and Degema Local Government Council, oil and gas companies operating in Bille Kingdom, and other persons and organizations” to partner with him in building “The Bille We Want”, which he expressed the hope to achieve “through participatory implementation of the Bille Needs Assessment Document – Bille Kingdom Vision 2040”.
For his part, Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Professor Kontein Trinya eulogized the guests for their decision to grace the occasion with their esteemed presence, expressing hope that the new leadership of King Agbaniye-Jike XVIII would usher in a season of divine endorsement and blessings.
“Over the palace of our Amanyanabo sits a huge crown, with the inscription, “Where the King of kings reigns.” May this new kingship, this new throne, be one from which the King of kings reigns. May the palace be His sanctuary. May he pardon the multiple errors of every guest and of Bille Kingdom. May darkness cease to becloud this land and its people. May the Easter blood of Jesus wash away our idolatries and multiple guilts, and make this place a land of light, a land of hope, in Jesus name. Amen!”
Highlights of the ceremony were the ingress of hefty tuskbearers representing the strength of Bille Kingdom to pay homage and pledge allegiance to the new Amanyanabo; display of traditional dances by the Abara Dance Group of Bonny Kingdom, and breath taking performance by the dance troupe of the Emir of Dass, among several others.
A reception was also held at Iwo-Ama Orukubo Stadium, where guests were served in avalanche with sumptuous meals, while comedy and music was provided by popular Nigerian stand up acts, Prince Hezekiah and music icon, Flavour, amongst others.
Dignitaries at the event include the Chairman, Platform Petroleum Limited, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Okan-Ama of Ngo, His Royal Highness, Uboon Ujile Ngere, Nyenwe-Eli Azuumini-Isiokpo, Eze Kingsley Ogundu, Oyo VIII, a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Sokonte Davies, amongst others.
Bille Kingdom, which is one of the kingdoms that make up Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, was said to be founded before the 18th century by Queen Ikpakiaba, wife of King Okoloko of Elem-Bille, and she was the first Amanyanabo of Bille Kingdom. Later on, Agbaniye-Jike, one of the famous kings of Bille, had the throne of the Amanyanabo named after him by his successors because of his conquests, courage and carriage.
A federating core Ijaw Kingdom, Bille is believed to have ancestral ties with neighbouring kingdoms such as Bonny, Nembe, and Abonnema, which is reinforced by the presence of their traditional rulers.
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