“I wondered why somebody didn’t do something, then I realized, I am somebody.” – Anonymous. 

This deeply profound and inspiring quote by an unknown author has been around for ages and is so apt to describe what may have inspired one of the true daughters of Bonny Kingdom, when she called up a few of her fellow Bonny descendants living in Lagos to pick their brains on how best they could deal with some news about Bonny Kingdom which had just broken and was agitating her mind. As soon as anyone she contacted heard the news, they were just as concerned.

The outbreak of COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020 when it began to wreak havoc globally. Not long after it got to Nigeria, it spread to various states. Rivers State was no exception, and the State Government was quite strict over the observance of the protocol to check its spread.

However, Bonny, an island which hosts various multinational oil and gas companies and not accessible by road, became a source of concern to the State Government. By mid-June 2020, word had spread that most people in the community were not observing the COVID-19 protocols and were carrying on with life as normal. This was disturbing, as any disaster in Bonny was bound to affect the whole of Nigeria adversely, as Bonny is a major economic nerve center of the nation.

The State Government responded by clamping a sudden and total lockdown on the kingdom. It was indeed, total lockdown. A 24-hour curfew ensured that everything came to a standstill. The corporate organizations stayed within their own estates and managed their work and family lives as best they could.

The community, however, stayed in their homes, unable to go to work, unable to go a-fishing, unable to trade or carry out any other business or social activity.  Bonny community was in dire straits.

The suddenness of the lockdown made the situation even more serious. Agreed, the health and safety of Bonny community was paramount, but life had become so hard that something also needed to be done about the people’s plight.

Everyone, from community leaders to government and corporate organizations was worried and tried to find some way to ease the suffering. In faraway Lagos also, Bonny sons and daughters were just as distressed by what had befallen their kinfolk and wondered how they would help to bring succour, particularly to the vulnerable in the kingdom.

Word began to spread among them and, in the spirit of Nagbo duo naghagbo piri (whoever hears, tells whoever has not), some came together to aggregate their support, hence the name, Lagos Bonny Citizens & Friends Covid-19 Support Initiative. It was open to Bonny people including those with Bonny interest. Some reached out to their friends, who also chipped in. Several virtual meetings and contributions in group chatrooms were held to discuss the humanitarian outreach options.

Logistics constraints made it difficult to convert what was in their kitty into palliatives to be distributed in Bonny, with the speed and ease required at the time. The State Government, the Amanyanabo-in-Council, the Titled Citizens Assembly (TCA), and corporate bodies’ intervention and other assistance to bring succour to the community made the initiative put on hold their implementation plan.

With the global second wave of Covid-19, and Bonny not being an exception, the Lagos Bonny Citizens & Friends Covid-19 Support Initiative responded to the outcry for help.

The initiative was structured to reach out to twelve (12) nominees from the thirty four (34) chieftaincy houses including the royal house of the kingdom. A formal request for contact was made to the Bonny Chiefs’ Council and representatives of the chieftaincy houses. Chieftaincy houses have responded with their contacts while the rest are being expected through representatives. 

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The initiative is looking forward to reach out to over four hundred persons in urgent need with a token sum of fifteen thousand Naira (N15,000) each.

Each of the chieftaincy houses through their contact point will collect the token packs for their chieftaincy house nominees from the coordinating bank. The house contact will distribute the packs to the nominees. 

The coordinators who spoke with Kristina Reports said that while the cash token may not be staggering, it was an exercise in which everyone who contributed felt fulfilled.

“Everyone gave what they could, despite the rough times. Even our friends felt they were part of the kingdom and shared in our distress. Wherever we find ourselves, we would always have our hearts in Bonny.”

“The volunteers would like to pay tribute to the memory of an incredibly special daughter of the kingdom, the late Mrs. Nyingi Hailsham Allison. She happened to have been the first person to contribute into the dedicated account for this project. She died on Friday, November 27th, 2020. She loved Bonny deeply and demonstrated it through action. May her soul rest in peace!”

The initiative coordinating team, give God all the Glory for the initiative and its execution. They sincerely thank the chieftaincy house contacts for being part of the seamless distribution of the charity pack to all their house nominees. 

The team further reaffirmed that COVID-19 is real, and we should encourage ourselves to minimize associated health impact through regular washing of hands, use of face masks, and avoidance of crowded places. Personal hygiene is the best approach to staying alive and keeping the community safe.