The trailblazing feats of the Jack-Wilson Pepple Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom, especially, in educational advancement, has caught the attention of no less a person than the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, Perekule XI, who has called on other chieftaincy house to emulate them.

The Bonny Monarch made this observation during the Calendar Launch Ceremony of the Jack-Wilson Pepple House to commemorate his epochal royal visit to the House on January 25, 2020.

According to the former Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, who was represented at the event by the Chairman Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Dagogo Claude-Wilcox, the Education Support Fund (ESF) which investiture was done on Friday, January 29, 2021, was a laudable initiative that should be emulated by other segments of the kingdom.

“I want to say thank you to Hanniel to have started this and I pray that other houses including mine will emulate this. What you are doing today, you called it Jack-Wilson Pepple Education Support Fund is a laudable feat.”

He encouraged the youths and even the advanced in age to consider furthering their education, noting for the adults, “it is not too late. It is not just for the young people even the adult here can still go to school. We have a monarch that would do everything to support education”.  

The ESF is envisaged to warehouse funds generated from the calendar launch for supporting educational aspirations of members of the House and working in the long term to build structures that would facilitate the educational advancement of the House.

Earlier, the Chief and Head of the Jack-Wilson Pepple House, Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple had informed the King that the calendar launch event was a strategic fallout of his royal visit a year ago, noting that the House appreciates the visit.

“Our dear King, on the 25th of January, 2020, a little above one year you were gracious to this house as it were and paid a royal visit to the Jack-Wilson Pepple chieftaincy House. It was a monumental occasion for us. It was an epoch making occasion for us. We enjoyed ourselves. We received your blessing and that blessing is still following us to this day and will continue to follow us.”

“Your Majesty, I can’t express my gratitude enough because not only have you remained our King but have also remained a worthy and reliable father for us in this house.”

Se-Alabo Jack-Wilson Pepple, who is also the Supervising Chief for Education in Bonny Kingdom, disclosed that the house’s sense of gratitude informed the investiture of a support fund to warehouse donations from the calendar launch to support education as a legacy that aligns with one of the focal points of King Perekule XI’s leadership trajectory.

“Your Majesty, after that visit, we, as a house, decided to move forward with that visit because it was historical and it was unprecedented. So, we decided we had to do something to remember; we decided that we are going to put that visit into a calendar and that is what we are here to do today to launch the calendar.”

“We also decided to take advantage of this launch to move this house forward. We asked ourselves some questions, one of those questions is when this launch will be done, God Almighty blessing us that manna will flow, what are we going to do with that money?”

“Your Majesty, Chiefs and Titled Citizens here, something has been agitating my mind and that of my cabinet members and, of course, other worthy persons in the house. Education is key. What do we do to help, to assist our children? And the best way we thought to be of help is to support education.”

The Jack-Wilson Pepple House Numero Uno recounted the challenges he faced in the course seeking education for himself which were amplified by the economic situation of his family, asserting that the children of the House should not be subjected to such traumatic situation.

Speaking, Chairman of the occasion and former member of the House of Representatives representing Degema/Bonny federal constituency, Randolph Brown praised the leadership of the Jack-Wilson Pepple House for their innovation, charging the youths of the house to maximize the opportunities inherent in the education support fund to enable them leapfrog to greater heights.

“Look at the sequence of events, the King just stepped in to Jack-Wilson Pepple House and because he (Chief Hanniel) is educated, he packaged it in a form and wants to use to generate funds to pay school fees for people.”

The King, what did he do, step his foot here, finish. Then the leaders now said, ‘we can make money out of it’. They are making money out of it and where are they channeling it to? They are channeling it into educating our people.

“So, the onus is on you to take advantage of it. Today we have so many opportunities but we have refused to make good use of those opportunities.”

He applauded the choice of Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple as Chairman of the committee, pointing out that she possessed the qualities needed to drive the process and achieve its set objectives, stressing the need for all stakeholders to contribute to the Bonny project, focusing on the holistic development of Bonny Kingdom.  

“See, I am not surprised, if you have not mentioned the name of the chairman of this committee, I would have been a prophet, I would said that it will be Amaopu-Orubo Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple. And I will tell you why. I know that she fits in 100% well.”

“A good chunk of us who are doing well today started the journey from outside and came back home and we are thinking of what we can bring in to our community, and not King never do this, chief never do this and local government chairman never do this.”

Chief Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple had on Friday, January 29, 2021 inaugurated Jack-Wilson Pepple Education Support Fund (JWP ESF) with committee to manage it. The committee has Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple a Chairman, Rev. Canon Peter Blu-Attoni as Vice Chairman, and Herbert Pepple as Secretary, respectively, while Fred Pepple, Blessing Ezekiel-Hart, Boma Okaka and Boma Waribor are to serve as members.

In her speech, Woman Leader of Bonny Kingdom and Chairman of the JWP ESF Committee, Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple thanked the Chief and the leadership of the house for the honour done her and other members of the committee.

Noting that the best crop of technocrats and men of integrity were meticulously chosen to manage the fund, the seasoned educationist assured that everyone will be proud of the achievements of the committee in terms of managing the funds for the educational advancement of the House. 

“The money you have all given to us will be used judiciously and you will be proud of what this committee will do with your money because I know we will be prudent in spending and we will give when we need to give.”

“To the members of the committee that the house has set up, when I look at you, I see men of integrity, men of capacity, and I feel humbled to be part of the committee. I want to thank you for accepting to work for the benefit of this house.”

The ex-banker called on deserving youths of the House to put themselves together and take advantage of the opportunity that the fund presents to develop themselves, as those without education or skill advantage in the coming years may be shut out from the ever demanding world of work.

In attendance at the colourful event were the Vice Chairman of Bonny LGA, Anengi Barasua, wife of the Chief and Head of the House, Alabota Cecilia Jack-Wilson Pepple, Secretary of the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Arthur Willie-Pepple, Secretary of the King Perekule Palace, Se-Alabo Abel Attoni, Chiefs-elect of Pollyn, Mieibima Pollyn, and Jim-Halliday, Elliot Jim-Halliday, 1st Vice Chairman, Furosia Wilcox, and Secretary, Fred Pepple, of the Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly, representatives of various chieftaincy houses in Bonny Kingdom, among others.

Some of the highlights of the event include the official launching of the 2021 Jack-Wilson Pepple House Calendar, the traditional presentation of special drinks to the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Grand Bonny Kingdom as a mark of welcome to the house, special rendition by the Bonny Kingdom Royal Choir, among others.