Bonny Consulate Building

14/08/2026

14/08/2026

BONNY CONSULATE organised IBANI LANGUAGE CHILDREN HOLIDAY CLASS.

Bonny Kingdom to the World.

21/07/2026

IBANI NAMES, MEANINGS AND PRAYER POINTS:

"Oruene"

In 1861 King William Dappa Pepple was gifted a King size King James Bible by Queen Victoria of England in England.
With this wonderful gift and the New found Religion (Christianity), King William Dappa Pepple came back to Bonny and introduced the Christian Religion in Bonny first and in the Niger. So the introduction of Christianity in Ibani Land and in the Niger is attributable to King William Dappa Pepple of Grand Bonny Kingdom as till today that seed of Christianity is still in the King Perekule Palace and it's 164 Years Old.

Before the advent of Christianity, our ancestors were believers in the existence of deities (gods) that answers their prayers and supplications through libations, sacrifices, incantations etc.
They believe these entities and deities are very powerful,but with the coming and acceptance of Christianity and the belief in the existence of a Supreme all powerful being other than their deities,and it happens to be that this Supreme Deity is worshipped on the first day of the week which happens to be on Sunday, therefore for the ancient Ibani people,this newly found Supreme Deity is so powerful that what he can do is only comparable to the power of the deities (juju) they are used to,so they refer to this new found God as being powerful or even more powerful as one of their gods believing that no other deity can perform the kind of miracles this their new God can perform except it's one of their deities (Juju - "oru") if not even more powerful than the ones they know already.

Moving forward,to glorify this their new found God,any child born on the day this new Deity is worshipped is referred to as "Oruene" (that is "Born on the day of the the worship of the deity (juju) God) and not necessarily meaning that the literary meaning of the name "Oruene" is what it means connotatively.

Furthermore, with the effect and appearance of Christianity any child born on Sunday is called "Oruene" meaning one born on the day of the worship of the Supreme Deity (God) (Sunday) and it doesn't mean the name means "Juju Day".

Today,based on Christian beliefs and not wanting to sound as promoting idolatry, parents tend to give the name "Tamunoene" (God's Day) to their children who are born on Sunday to reflect their Christian beliefs today and to remove ambiguity in the deep meaning of the name "Oruene".

For the records,the day before "Oruene" (Sunday) is called
"Kalaoruene" (Saturday) likewise those who are born on that day if their parents so wish to name them as such.

To show the reverence the Ibani man gives to the Supreme Deity (God), (Oru) in its metaphoric sense, House (Opuwari) Meetings that take place on Sunday (Oruene or Tamunoene) has to happen after 4pm(Sundown ) because they believe by then a new day has begun in its ordinary sense and those who went to Church to honour the new found and powerful "Oru" must have come back and they don't want anything to compete with this their powerful deity. In addition to this,they need to have this meeting after 4pm when the Supreme Deity has been worshipped so that they can pour their libations in their traditional prayers to their ancestors who they believe are now less in power to their new found Supreme God.
This explains why most House (Opuwari) Meetings in Ibani Land that happens on Sundays has to be after Church time and not before or else the Meetings are done on other days other than Sundays,but historical events has shown that House Meetings happen more often on Sundays because our ancestors were fishermen,so Sundays happen to be the days when they don't go for fishing expeditions but rest because of fatigue and in honour of the worship of their new found all powerful Supreme Deity only comparable to their juju (Oru), but higher in all respects.

God Bless us all.

Put together by;
Adaobu Blue-Jack.
08156852064.
08037464295.

15/07/2026

BONNY KINGDOM MONUMENTAL CULTURAL EVENTS/HISTORICAL SITES/TOMBS AND MONUMENTS:

1) July 1st - September - Fongu Mini.

2) December 21st - Coronation Anniversary of His Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple iii, Edward I, CON DSSRS JP, Perekule xi, Natural Ruler and Amanyanabo of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom.

3) December 15th - 24th - Rafia Masquerade display.

3) December 25th- Nwaotam Festival.

4) December 26th - Bonny Boat Regatta.

5) December 30th - Royal Banquet at the King Perekule Royal Palace hosted by the king.

6) December 26th - 5th January - Masquerade/ Rafia display in the various villages of Bonny Kingdom.

7) Every time of the year -

Iria/Bibite ceremony - "Womanhood rite" ceremony.

HERITAGE SITES/ITEMS:

1) Perekule Royal Palace - It bears and signifies our ancestry.

- The Palace Wall and its history.

2) The 165 Years old bible given to King William Dappa Pepple of Bonny by Queen Victoria in 1861 in England with which the king returned to Bonny and planted the seed of Christianity in Bonny kingdom and which spread to other surrounding kingdoms and communities.
This bible still lies in the ancient Perekule Royal Palace till date.

3) The Ancestral "Ikuba Nungo"- " The House of Skulls".

The ancestral square of Bonny People and their Sacred Ground.

4) " Elesu Suu" - The spot where elders seat,and disputes were resolved and judgements/verdicts given in truth and justice.
It signifies a place of equity and justice.

5) The new "Bonny-Bodo Road"which has taken several decades of years to come, linking Bonny and the other parts of Nigeria by road. This is a dream come true with several creeks transversing our creeks and rivulets.

6) The Ancient Old Market Square - The place where most of the trades took place in ancient times including the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

7) "Ama-omu" and its historical antecedents as the centre stage of the Bonny- Andoni war.

8) The location of the old Bonny Consulate -

Which still has the remains of the foundation stone of the Old Consulate building.

9) The New Bonny Consulate -

Which is a historical replay of the seat of power during the European trade in the Delta, but today seats as the "Royal Embassy" of His Majesty the King of Bonny.

It houses the Royal Floor, a Museum, a Radio Station - Bonny FM 90:9, a Cinema Hall - Bonny Consulate Cinema, a Historical Library, a collection of some historical artifacts of our trajectory as a people etc.

The Consulate is also significant because it symbolises the place where the meeting was held for the abolishment of Slave Trade in the Niger.

10) St. Stephens Cathedral and its history

- The Premier Anglican Cathedral in Nigeria and the second in West Africa. Established in 1864. It was officially consecrated as a Cathedral on February 27 1889 by Bishop Ajayi Crowther. This historic site 19th century artifacts used by Bishop Crowther including his pastoral stool, lectern, and the original boat that brought him to the Island.

11) The Commonwealth cemetery -

Where in 1862 most of the Europeans who came to Bonny for trade were buried upon their death due to malaria and other illnesses.

12) Bonny Government School and its environ - Established in 1905.

The school that Late Nnamdi Azikiwe and his contemporaries attended.

12) Historical Tombs and Monuments.

13) The Residence of the British Postmaster.

14) Nature Park.

This is put together by;
Adaobu Blue-Jack - anipr.
(Administrative Secretary - Bonny Consulate).
08037464295 , 08156852064.

07/07/2026

"FONGU" AND ITS PERSPECTIVES:

The Ijaw people which includes the Ibani people are predominantly fishermen who travel and live along the sea routes in makeshift settlements or fishing ports (Bori-kiri) some times far way from their native villages but along the seashores doing their fishing expeditions especially deep into the ocean, most times leaving their nucleus family behind in their villages.

As they do their fishing exploits,and as the seas gets deeply rough and turbulent and the catch from the sea becomes small between the months of July to early days in September especially in August and fishing gets very risky,the fishermen see this period as a Rest Period for them wherein they travel back from their various fishing settlements (fishing ports) to their villages to reunite with their wives, children and the rest of their families they have left behind for a long while.

1) As these fishermen come back they see this period of their stay with their families and the rest of the community as a time to take stock of happenings in the community in their absence and a time to count themselves to be sure that all the men from the village (community) that left for fishing expedition in the various fishing ports (Bori-kiri) all came back alive or a record of those who couldn't make it as a result of death while in the fishing port or as a result old age or sickness.

2) As these fishermen come back,some of them who have the power of spiritual communication and revelation with the spirit beings come to tell what they saw (dance steps,songs and shapes of the entities they have seen during their expeditions, and they take the opportunity to tell and teach other members of the "Owu Ogbo" these dance steps and songs.
This is only open to initiates.

"FONGU":

1) "Fongu" to an Ibani man is a season of turbulence in the sea and torrential rains in the sea which makes fishing expeditions risky and a moment of low catch from the seas.

2) "Fongu" to an Ibani man who is an initiate of the "Owu Ogbo" is a moment of;

A) HOMECOMING:
As these great Fishermen come back from their fishing journeys because of bad weather,they seize the opportunity between the months of August and early September to engage in their "Owu Ogbo" activities only open to the initiates.
They refer to this period as FONGU.

During "FONGU" for the "Owu Ogbo" (Masquerade Club),the initiates (members) see it as Homecoming.

In this Homecoming, there are several steps to a "FONGU":

1) "FONGU MINI":

"FONGU" - Turbulent season at the sea which requires rest from.

"MINI" - To answer to a call.

This is a submission and answer to the subjection of nature with the turbulence in the seas,if you like this is a compulsory rest dealt on man by the elements of Nature (God Almighty).

So in summary,"FONGU MINI" is a compulsory subjection of the fishermen to the "Calls of Nature" to rest from work (fishing) for a while, during which the "Owu Ogbo" members congregate.

Note that several "Owu Ogbo" has their different dates to congregate within the earlier specified period.

2) "FONGU AKWA MINI":

"Fongu akwa mini", this is when the "akwusa" (the big drum) and other drums are sounded ushering in the "Fongu" season for the year and during which all club members are called to convoke in the "Igwa" (Club House) and club elders and some others who have drum names are called by their drum names to indicate their presence, but this significantly is the official start off of the "FONGU".

2) "FONGU ERE MINI":

"Fongu ere mini" is the taking of Roll Call of members present during their Annual General Meeting and of those whose names will be answered for in absentia because they have sent their Roll Call (Annual Subscription) and indication of continuous membership.

In this Annual General Meeting (AGM) names of members are read out this is to know in the year under review, how many members are still alive,how many members are still members,and how many members are dead.

It is in this Annual General Meeting (AGM) that decision is made on how many days will the Club have its masquerade display for the season,and possibly what masquerade (s) will be displayed.

It is noted that it is in this AGM in the "FONGU" that the leadership (Exco) of the "Owu Ogbo" can be changed and a new Exco elected if the tenure of the subsisting Exco has come to its full circle.

"FONGU OWU TIÍ "

This is the masquerade displays proper on the chosen dates,times and venue.

This is the climax of the entire "FONGU" season.

This is the beauty of the Ibani Cultural System exemplified by the "Owu Ogbo" to which the King is described as the "Ogbo Nyanabo" (The Owner of the Club) and the Captain (Head) of the Club is called "Ogbo Sibidabo" and each Chief (Se-Alabo) of the various Chieftaincy Houses is a Principal member of his House or community "Owu Ogbo" if they have one, provided he is an initiate of the "Owu Ogbo" (Club), though each of the Houses or community "Owu Ogbo" still has their own Leadership as led by the "Captain" (Ogbo Sibidabo).

is my little contribution on the subject matter.

Blue -Jack ANIPR
(Am an Ibani dialect,culture and historical enthusiast).
24/8/2025.

BONNY KINGDOM TO THE WORLD 🌎

01/07/2026

IBANI LANGUAGE ADVANCEMENT:

Good news.
The New Testament of the Bible has now been fully translated into Ibani Language ending several years of dedicated effort by the Ibani Language Translation Group.

This is the online link - http://bible.ibani.online/home

Please feel free to share this link and download the content for your personal use as well.

God Bless the Team which made this possible.
God Bless Grand Bonny kingdom.
God Bless Ibani Nation.

©Adaobu Blue-Jack.
(Administrative Secretary- Bonny Consulate)
08037464295 , 08156852064.

Read the New Testament in the Ibani language with side-by-side English translations.

11/06/2026

Happy Birthday wish to the Black Monarch of Grand Bonny Kingdom - His Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple iii, Edward 1,CON DSSRS JP, Perekule xi, Natural Ruler and Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny kingdom.

10/05/2026

"THE BLACK MONARCH"

The Royal Diadem on his Head.
The Royal Medallion of Gold on his Neck.
The Royal Scepter of Authority and Power in his Hands.
The Royal Apparels of Beauty and Dignity Adorning his Royal Body.
His Royal Feet Gracing the Mother Earth in Authority of his Ancestral and Divine Kingship and Power.

Our "Amanyanabo" with the "King Edward Touch".

God Bless The King.

08/05/2026

Bonny Kingdom for centuries today is uniquely ruled by the King in a primogeniture system.

Today, we are blessed to have as Our King,His Majesty King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple iii,
Edward i,CON DSSRS JP,
Perekule xi, Natural Ruler and Amanyanabo of Ancient Great Grand Bonny Kingdom.

There are 34 Chieftaincy Houses created by the King Perekule Dynasty and each of these Houses is headed by a Chief who is presented to the Amanyanabo (the King) in a public ceremony as graciously granted by His Majesty to be so admitted into the Bonny Chiefs Council as a Se-Alabo (Country Chief) meaning the Chief is now qualified to seat with the King to deliberate on matters for the entire good of the Kingdom and not just the House to which he is a Chief.

Each of these Houses have the Council of Elders known as "Wariseniapu" (Burusu Heads) who work with the Chief as Elders,even as the Chief pays due allegiance to the King (The Throne).

Furthermore,the King confers Traditional Titles on Bonny Men and Women who have distinguished themselves in various life's endeavours that have impacted society.
The Titles are - "Amaopusenibo" , "Amaopuorubo" and "Amasenibo". It is these illustrious sons and daughters that constitutes the Titled Citizens Assembly (TCA) as we have it today.

Indeed,every true Bonny Son and Daughter is thought by his or her parents and forebears to Love and Protect the Kingdom, its ancestral/cultural values and its People, and above all pay due allegiance to the Throne under God.

God bless The King.

God bless Our Chiefs.

God bless all our Titled Citizens.

God bless The Land and its People.

The Chieftaincy Houses of Ancient Great Grand Bonny Kingdom rooted in our very rich historical heritage are as follows;

34) Perekule Royal House

1) Fubara Manilla Pepple.

2) Allison Nwaoju.

3) Captain Hart.

4) Brown.

5) Wilcox.

6) Halliday.

7) Jumbo.

8) Banigo.

9) Jack Wilson-Pepple.

10) Tolofari.

11) Finecountry.

12) Dublin Green.

13) Bristol.

14) Long-John.

15) Attoni.

16) Tobin.

17) Beresiri.

18) Allaputa.

19) Pollyn.

20) Jackmay.

21) Willie-Pepple.

22) Dan-Jumbo.

23) Jamaica-Allison.

24) Ezekiel-Hart.

25) Benstowe.

26) Jack- Manilla Pepple.

27) Abbey-Hart.

28) Jim-Halliday.

29) Christy-Wilcox.

30) John-Jumbo.

31) Abraham Hart.

32) Jekey-Green.

33) Adda-Allison.

▪︎ Put together by ▪︎

Adaobu Blue-jack ANIPR
(A Linguist and a Public Relations Practitioner).

- Administrative Secretary - Bonny Consulate Building.