Inside the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly during his time there, he was accorded by his friends and associates the sobriquet, ‘Amadabo of the Green Chamber’. And in his slogan of service, ‘I will see with your eyes, hear with your ears and speak with your voice’ trended tremendously as he engaged the nation on live national television in discourses that involved issues affecting his people, the Degema/Bonny federal constituency. His name is Randolph Iwo Oruene Brown.

In this interview with the Publisher of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, the community leader, vociferous advocate, philanthropist, mentor financial expert and development enthusiast x-rayed the implications of the recent installation of a Chief and Head of the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House of Finima in Bonny Kingdom, responding to perceptions about the chieftaincy house, among others. It promises to be informative and enlightening. Dive in!  

Since when you exited the hallowed chambers of the National assembly you sort of gone very quiet, though we hear that once a lawmaker always a lawmaker. How has life been all of this period?

Very good, very, very good; I am somebody that is attune with nature, so I adapt to whatever situation I find myself. So, I am very comfortable and happy. At least I made a mark, and that is all. In the course of my campaign then I told the people that I hear with their ears, see with their eyes and speak with their mouth. And I was able to achieve that despite the circumstances. The challenges and whatever problems I encountered I am happy and grateful to the Almighty that I was still able to achieve so much.

Recent developments has brought us to your doorstep, Finima Community, the Buoye Omuso Brown House, and the Taa-Furo Awo (Omuso Direct Lineage) family of the Buoye Omuso Brown House where issues related to the emergence of a Chief and Head of the House is already generating some furore.

Yes, the truth is that I am a community person, I am a local person and I am a grassroots person; and I have been involved in the activities of this community for over 40 years to protect the image of the House of the Buoye Omuso Brown House to make sure that it’s sanctity is maintained. And nobody can take that away from me. I have made more sacrifice than those who are making noise today in this community. I have encountered so much challenges but I am dogged and I am firm based on my conviction and my historical antecedents. So, one the issue of Taa Furo Awo, who are the Taa Furo Awo? Who is a more Taa Furo Awo than me? Let them come out. Is those that their fathers betrayed the House? Is those that sold the House to people? That we fought to rescue? Who are they? No doubt that we have Taa Furo Awo. But a situation where your father abandons the House. Your father betrayed the House and you later come and claim because there are good things that are coming in. I am not bothered about that.

Now, there are two critical issues that are under review here. One is that your chief-elect, Evans Clement Buoye Brown….

(Cuts in) Evans Brown is living in a fools’ paradise.  

He claims he was nominated by your (Taa Furo Awo) family…

(Cuts in) Who nominated him? Let him name those who nominated him.

He said there was a letter from the Taa Furo Awo…

(Cuts in) Who are the people who signed the letter? Those who don’t have a place to stay? Those who are squatting? Those who don’t have pedigree? Let him name those who wrote the letter. Where did they meet? When did they meet? How did they meet? What is their position? What is their disposition? What has been their contribution? What has been the contribution of their parents?

Are you saying there was no time Evans Clement Buoye Brown was nominated as Chief-elect?

I am saying that there was not time like that; that Evans is living in a fool’s paradise. Evans came to this my house in this particular place and told me that Simingi this, pastor this and that; and I told him that all of us have the blood flowing in our veins. We should what we would do to bring the House together. So, whoever that brought him out, good luck to them. Who are they? Let him mention them, let him give us the names of those who wrote the letter. Who are they? The Buoye Omuso House is bigger than all of us.

But is it a convention in your House that your family has always produced the chief of the Buoye Omuso House?

See, the chiefs are either selected or elected, and the House looks at the prevailing situation and take decisions. And we have the kingmakers, the elders, they sit back and decide and approach whom the cap fits. And never, children of the same parents who don’t have any pedigree in this community and even in the House wrote letter? Who gave them the audacity? Who gave them the impetus? Who gave them that authority? They don’t have it. Let them come out. Let us come out and talk, we will know. We know everybody’s antecedents. Let Evans come out and tell us who and who met. I have a right like Evans, like every other person but there are procedures. We have a constitution and there have been constitutions. I may not know much when late Buowari was the chief but I know that there was a constitution in late Allwell Brown’s time. I also know that there was a constitution in late Chief Idamieibi’s time. And there is a constitution of the House today. Maybe, the new chief that has been installed will seek for the amendment of the constitution.

Is this the same constitution that is under review before a court of law?

I don’t know which court of law. There is no court of law. There is a constitution, there is a constitution.

Evans Clement Buoye Brown said one of the suits he instituted against the Council of Elders of the House calls into question that constitution.

(Cuts in) Does he recognize the Council of Elders? Does he consider or recognize the Council of Elders? What is the role of the Council of Elders?

But will his family write to the Council of Elders if they do not recognize the council?

His family, does he have family? Which family, which of the families?

In our interview with him he kept referring to the Council of Elders. So, if he does not recognize the council of elders why will he defer to them?

Fine. Is it not the Council of Elders that brings up the chief? So, which of his family?

He claims the Council of Elders has always installed whoever was recommended by the Taa Furo Awo.

It is a lie. It is a big lie.

He gave two instances that were the only exceptions – Chief John Green Owupele Brown and Chief Israel Idamieibi Brown

This is a capital lie. So, if he said (Chief John Green Owupele (Brown) and (Chief Israel) Idamieibi Brown, what brought about people not coming from the Taa Furo Awo? Why was John Green Owupele capped? Why was Idamieibi capped?

You said you have been in things about the community for over forty years….

Yes, for over forty years and Evans and his cohorts cannot tell me that they have been involved for even ten years in the affairs of this community. I want to challenge them publicly, let them come and tell me what they have done.

As a community leader and one who is versed with Ibani customs and tradition, can you tell us that the process of making Dagogo Lambert Brown the Chief was in compliance with Ibani customs and tradition?

One hundred per cent. One hundred per cent compliance.

We understand that by virtue of what has happened back in history and how the Brown House came about that it was the Captain Hart Chief that always caps the Chief of the Brown House.

It has never happened. We have relationship with the Captain Hart House, we have relationship, no doubt about that.

Are you saying that Captain Hart has never capped any chief of the Brown House?

He has never capped. Number one, Brown House, historically, by all evidences, is a Duawari House. And what is a Duawari House? One of the founding houses and we have found that Kongo, in one of the situations in Bonny Kingdom in a triumvirate leadership, the founder of the Brown House was in the leadership of Bonny Kingdom. So, how come a slave descent? We trace our lineage to Kongo to Sonia and from Sonia to the present. It was Sonia who led our people from where we are to where we left. That is why the main square where the opuwari was called ‘Sonia sughu’. That is where the opuwari in the main square was there. and coincidentally, Idamieibi now brought us back to Ikpakpayo where we came and settled. So, the issue of who caps, there were chiefs from Omuso to the present which time did Captain Hart chief? We have relationship with the Hart House, no doubt about that, nobody will contest it. But when you have problem somebody that was there to assist you will appreciate him. And at a point in the history of Brown House, Captain Hart was there. So, we will appreciate it but that does not make us subservient.

It appears the Brown House has conflicting versions of its history, like the one you have narrated now. There is another version that says Opu-Ipuo relocated from Bonny to Ikpakpayo….

(Cuts in) We have Ipuo and the rest of them…

And another that says that Brown House as a chieftaincy house started from Omuso….

The chieftaincy is from Omuso, the chieftaincy of Brown House started from Omuso.

Was it at that point it became a Duawari or before that time?  

No, no, no, you should understand the concept of Duawari or no Duawari. Duawari are the founding houses. When they were coming in from Ebeni, they were brothers. There was a war and they now came in as brothers and it was led by Alagbariya. So, after Alagbariya and the rest of them a lot of things happened until it got to Awusa (Halliday) when kingship was introduced and houses came into existence. They were leaders. As at that time they don’t have chief or no chief. But over time the chieftaincy houses were instituted. Sonia that took us from Ikpakpayo to where we were before we moved wasn’t a chief but when the chieftaincy issues came up we took our position. And if you read history, Omoni was regarded as the governor general of Finima.

This point in the history of the Brown House where it is said and over time and over several generations that Omuso was to be sold into slavery by his brothers….  

Omuso was rescued…

But was rescued by King Fubara and handed over to Captain Hart who brought him up and made him a chief and presented him to the King…

No, listen, he did not bring up and he didn’t make him a chief. Omuso, because of influence there was jealousy. Like the biblical story that we have about Joseph, he (Omoni) was the last son, with his growth and other things will make people to be envious, because his brothers were envious of him that he is coming to take over their position they sold him into slavery; they exchanged him with a slave in a slave ship. So, when the King, as at that time, went to check the ship – because the King will check what is happening – he now called him ‘Ada!’ and the King said how can? Because it is only a freeborn that can be bold enough. He now asked him and he told this, this, this…he now said ‘Captain Hart take charge of him and he now exchanged him with another slave. Does that make you a slave? You are a freeborn, your brothers were envious of you, they betrayed you, they want to kill you, they sold you, like the situation of Joseph; they wanted to kill him, but one of them said don’t kill him, allow him, let us sell him to…and they did. And Joseph eventually became what he is. So that was a similar situation. These are historical things, we have relationship, no doubt about that relationship. We don’t want to because of children who don’t want to know or create it. We have relationship with the Greens, we have relationship with the Jumbos; all those relationships are what we cherish. We have boundary relationship with the Longjohns that we cherish and we keep it.

There has been this notion that with the way the Brown House is going they want a create an entity separate from the Bonny Kingdom….

(Cuts in) That is not true…  

If you look at the history you have just recounted now, it appears from the Ipuo narrative and the Omuso narrative, it appears that clearly, the Brown House is fully entrenched in the royal family of Bonny Kingdom.

Fine and we respect it and we cherish it and we will continue to maintain it.

But do you think that the Brown House has done enough to assuage that perception of separation and factionalization and the Bonny-Finima dichotomy?

No, no, no, that is in the eyes of very few persons who because of their economic interests are creating these things. A lot of people because of their longer throat, they want to be favoured they try to whip the sentiments. That is just the truth. There is no problem. There is no time – to the best of my knowledge – that Finima people said they are not part of Bonny and there is also no time that Finima people are saying that the King is not their King. I have not heard, I have not participated in it; all what they are thinking of is that we should be respected and our dues given to us and you can see that it is because of these companies that are coming that will go too that people are fanning the embers of disunity for their own parochial interests. People are doing it for their interests.

People hold the view that why this perception seems to be pervading is because in Bonny Kingdom there should be just one palace but there is another palace in Finima – palace of the Amadabo of Finima.

No, no, no, what is palace? Get your phone and Google what is palace? Did any Finima person…

A palace is supposed to be the residence of a king.

Not a king, Google it. Did any Finima person or Brown House person say ‘their king’? have you heard them say ‘their king’?

But one thing may lead to another, from Amadabo to Amanyanabo…

What is Amadabo and what is Amanyanabo? Are they the same thing? Amadabo is different from Amanyanabo.  

But Amadabo can metamorphose into Amanyanabo…

Let me tell you…there is a judgment that says that the paramountcy of the Brown House is not in doubt. There is s judgement, a clear-cut judgment and what is paramountcy? It says that the paramountcy of the Brown House as owners and founders of Finima is not in doubt. Clearly written. What is paramountcy? Nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has contested the influence of the Amanyanabo, I will not be part of it. If you go to my parlour, you will see his picture. Nobody has told me and I have not heard anybody say it. A lot of people because they want to be favoured they want to create problems here and there. No Finima man has said that Finima is not part of Bonny, nobody. And no Finima man has said that they don’t recognize the Amanyanabo as a person. No Finima man has said he is not our King. All what they are saying is that they want to given their recognition.

Now that you are saying that no Finima man has said that the Amanyanabo is not their King, will Chief Dagogo Lambert Brown be presented to the Amanyanabo-in-Council?

Definitely. In the fullness of time, the necessary things will be done. You know that one Duma Jack Brown just came up one day and made himself, “I am the royal highness”. A 419, an impostor? You can see that Evans Brown is coming and “I am..” “Taa Furo Awo presenting me”. Who are the Taa Furo Awo? Who wrote the letter? Doghubo? What was his name in school? Is it because there is money today in Finima, he is answering Doghubo Brown? Who gave him the Doghubo Brown? Who is he? Who is the next person? The man who died betraying the Brown House? The man who died, he never had a place to stay that the Brown Major House built a house and gave his father one room? And he is inheriting that one room? Is it the man that will come and talk about Taa Furo Awo? Let us come out, yes, let the Taa furo Awo come and let us bear our original names. What some of us are avoiding is not to touch the bones of our forebears. But there is a common saying that “if Juju no know who him be, them go tell am the stick wey them take carve am”.