Between Igbo and Ijaw: The Historical Misplacement of Reno Omokri's View in Jaja of Opobo

 Between Igbo and Ijaw: The Historical Misplacement of Reno Omokri's View in Jaja of Opobo

By Emeka Esogbue

It looks like a historical misapplication and irrelevance, reading through respected Reno Omokri take to the historical course of a slave and master thesis, and Igbo and Ijaw social media presentation while using King Jaja Opobo to justify his primitivist case study. Worse still, the theory resurrected by him is far from constituting beneficence to the Igbo, Ijaw, or Nigeria as a whole socially, politically, or economically. What then is behind his immediate constitution of this history class?

How does Omokri, a giant Nigerian politician historically benefit from whether Jaja of Opobo was a slave of the Ijaw or not in modern Nigeria and global 2021? It is needless to emphasize that the discipline of history is not an instrument of ethnic superiority, promotion of disunity, or determination of racial powers and preference. History is a Bible of lessons which one should study, appreciate the good events therein, and never allow the ugly to repeat. 

Sadly, 'social media historians', many of who could not have found any reason, interest, and might to study the course, have now poorly hijacked the course to promote ethnic hate in the land, making egregious hatel of series of events to asseverate their claims that are targetted at enemy-ethnicities. The result is nothing but national gains of infinite disparity for all without exemption.

Whereas a knowledge-thirsty historian would have derived appreciation from the pan-Nigerian spirit of Jaja of Opobo, given that despite imperialism, the Prince stood firmly against the British exploitation, working hard and going ahead to thrive in palm oil trade while indefatigably blocking access to invading British merchants of the same trade. As one that was to later monopolize that trade, he found access to Liverpool having connected himself to other British middlemen. Jaja of Opobo is the spirit of hard work genetically found in the Igbo of Nigeria today, foresighted and successful in economic managements but Omokri could only see slave trade from his personal prism and lens.

Ironically, Omokri's only interest in all of these was the encultured Ijaw 'Ibani' ritual, something of modern irrelevance, discouragement and dissuation that no one would wish. Is this not a terrible derivation of historical lessons? How did he forget that Jaja was one of the only few Africans who were able to levy tax on the British traders? How does being a slave to Ijaw, racially take precedence for Reno Omokri, over all other nationalist achievements of the great Igbo nationalist?

Assuming Japa of Opobo was a slave to the Ijaw, does this make the Igbo ethnic group a slave of the Ijaw in its entirety? What is the topical relevance of the 

Igbo-slavery-Igbo-Ijaw subject for Omokri and what is the reason for the timing in today's volatile Nigeria? Why is it that all we hear in today's Nigeria is "slave" and "master?" To find respected Reno Omokri in this web of execrable mal du siecle especially against the Igbo is at best a treacly attempt to sink the people in bathos, something unexpected of his giant stature.

An educated Omokri though a politician, not a professional historian should have realized that slave trade did not show discrimination for ethnic groups. If our ancestors were slaves to whites on other continents, what is the particular personal interest or value for Omokri on whether Opobo was a slave to another or not? Did he forget that every African forebear was a slave of another ethnic group, scattered? History is not a faint trace of simulacrum for the brave actorship in Jaja; the art of history is not the derison of Nigerian politics and any importation will cause the discipline to lose its sweetness. Applying politics to history can only breed the usual game of intolerance.

With common sense, bereft of history, Omokri should have known that slaves traveled far, and owned in different homes of different peoples irrespective of ethnic coloration. He should know that even Africans sold their brothers and sisters to members of other ethnic groups. The slave trade was about economic interest and ethnicity did not matter. Indeed, not a single one of us can tell the actual destination slaves taken from our abodes ended including the said Reno Omokri.

Besides, schooling himself in history, Omokri must gain the total comprehension that no ethnic group is better than the other and must never use Igbo to justify the hunger for ethnic hegemony and sovereignty of another being his birthright choice. The history of events has been kind enough to the Igbo ethnic group and Reno Omokri should not slyly stand on the love and beauty of this to put the people down with Jaja Opobo as a case study. The Nigerian history is proud of Jaja of Opobo, a true legend and this is what should matter to Reno Omokri.

Emeka Esogbue is a recipient of Enuani Writer of the Year awarded by Ornimedia.