A former Special Chaplain to late Queen Elizabeth II of England on Inter-Religious Dialogue and Peace, Professor Udobata Onunwa has asserted that the Bonny Monarchy is the most revered African Monarch recognized in Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom due to its role in the advent of Christianity and subsequently civilization in Nigeria and West Africa.  

Prof. Onunwa made this assertion on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at the King Perekule Palace, Bonny, Rivers State, Nigeria, when he led a delegation of staff and students of the Trinity Theological College, Umuahia, Abia State to Bonny Kingdom for a fact-finding excursion to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny, which unarguably is the first Anglican Cathedral in Nigeria, and second in West Africa.

“For me it is a privilege to be here today. I served as a Special Chaplain to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth of England for many years. I have never seen any African King that is respected and revered in England like the king of Bonny. We have documents in Buckingham Palace that back what I just said.

“Your Majesty, you’re sitting on the antecedents of monarchs in Africa. Bonny is the apex of Christianity in Nigeria. Many kings brought Christianity, but they were never converted. They brought it as part of development.

“Anybody from this part of the world who can read and write should thank King William Dappa Pepple of Bonny who brought Christianity, because with Christianity came civilization and education.”

Prof. Onunwa, who is currently the Rector of Trinity Theological College, Umuahia, Abia State, stated that it is a privilege to meet with the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, recounting his years of service to the now demised Queen, adding that it increased his knowledge about the achievements of the Bonny Monarchy.

“You are sitting on the throne of your ancestors. For that reason, you are older than all of us, not because of your age but because of the institution you represent. Any word you say today is not your word but words of your great, great ancestors.”

“I worked in Her Majesty’s office in London, and also taught in the Vatican City in Rome. That has exposed me to a lot of things about Christianity – the intensity, the superiority, the originality of Christianity.

“If you talk about Bonny Kingdom today, you talk of the King; if you talk of him you talk about the whole community. The community is himself. That’s why the King does no error. His error is the error of all of us. We are all in him; and he is in all of us. I know what I am talking about. That is one thing about monarchy.

“So I consider it a great privilege to stand before the King of Bonny Kingdom. Your Majesty, before I leave I will touch your feet and the ground you marched. It is not just for the purposes of history, but a sign of monumental sacrament.”

Responding, the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, DSSRS, JP, Edward I, Perekule XI, who welcomed the 15-man delegation from the Trinity Theological College, Umuahia to the King Perekule Palace, noted despite the controversy between the West and South as to where Christianity first berthed in Nigeria, the truth cannot be swept aside.

He informed his visitors that the Holy Bible, which Queen Victoria gave to King William Dappa Pepple is still available, and that he would bring it for them to see and read from, the next day, pointing out that his forebear introduced Christianity to Bonny because he deemed it beneficial to his people.

“That Bible you are talking about is still here. The Bible was given to King William Dappa Pepple in 1861, after he became converted. The Bible survived all the things that happened including the civil war. By the grace of God, I will bring it out tomorrow and you will see it and read from it.

“King William Dappa Pepple brought Christianity to Bonny because he felt it was good for his people. And with Christianity came civilization and education. And when the Rector said anybody who can read and write today should thank King William Dappa Pepple, that’s exactly what it meant.”

The Bonny Monarch disclosed that there is a lot of history behind the present location of St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church, adding that Bonny is a highly spiritual place, stressing that he is proud to be a descendant of King William Dappa Pepple, enjoining Christians to stand firm in defence of the Christian heritage of Bonny.

“I am proud that my forebears have brought something that made positive impacts not just in Bonny, but the whole of the South and part of the Eastern Region.

“Ajayi Crowther was sent here not because the Archbishop of London loved Bonny so much; he was sent here because King William Dappa Pepple wrote a letter to the Archbishop of London requesting for a priest to be sent to Bonny. And that coincided with when Ajayi Crowther was ordained, and he started his ministry in Bonny. “So, we are a Christian Kingdom; we have our tradition, but that does not take anything away from our Christian life.

The Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom expressed deep concern that King William Dappa Pepple has not been duly recognized and honoured enough for the roles he played in bringing Christianity to this part of the world, remarking that obviously, the sacrifices made by King William Dappa Pepple and his son, King George, entrenched Christianity in this part of the world.

“Even after his passing, his son stood his ground and ensured that Christianity was established. At a point he had to abdicate his throne for the sake of Christianity. He only returned when his conditions for the abolition of practices that were antithetical to the Christian faith were met.”

King Edward I of Bonny Kingdom promised to initiate the process of partnership and collaboration between Bonny Kingdom and Trinity Theological College, Umuahia in acknowledgement of what God used King William Dappa Pepple to do.

“He brought the church with his money. He brought people from Britain along with him – doctor, teacher, and the rest, and paid them huge salaries to help build the church, preach the gospel and educate his people. He didn’t make it his personal business as many people would have done. He saw something good and brought it to his people.”

His Majesty finally thanked the staff and students of Trinity Theological College, Umuahia for embarking on the visit to Bonny Kingdom to see St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church, which is the cradle of Christianity and crib of Anglicanism in the country.

Earlier, the spokesman of the delegation, Isaiah Anthony said the purpose of the visit is to effect corrections in the distorted history.

“Now the correct history has been acknowledged that King William Dappa Pepple after being converted and baptized, was given the Holy Bible by the then Queen of England, returned and established the first Anglican Church here in Bonny. Today Bonny has a special place in the history of Christianity in Africa.”

In his welcome address, the Chairman of Bonny Chiefs Council, Se-Alabo Dagogo Soala Claude-Wilcox, MON, JP, expressed the hope that the visit of the delegation from Trinity Theological College, Umuahia to Bonny Kingdom and St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church would acquaint them with the rich history of the church as the first Anglican Church in Nigeria, and the historical relationship between Christianity, the Perekule Dynasty and Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther.

Among dignitaries at the occasion were the Chairman of Bonny Local Government Area, Anengi Claude-Wilcox, her Vice, Omoni Longjohn, Leader of Bonny Legislative Assembly, Erefagha Allaputa, his fellow Councillors, members of Bonny Chiefs Council; Titled Citizens’ Assembly of Grand Bonny Kingdom, Bonny Kingdom Ogbobiri Asawo; Bonny Women Forum; Bonny Youth Federation, amongst others.

The Bonny Monarch later led his guests to the tomb of the late King William Dappa Pepple where together with the visiting Theologians laid wreaths in honour of late Monarch’s transformational deeds while alive.

Highpoint of the visit was the presentation of portrait to the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom by the Registrar of the Trinity Theological College, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeka, as a memento of the historic visitation, as well as an interdenominational church service at the St Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny to mark the episcopal visit.