By Daniel Abia

Children of the late King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, the Amanyanabo of Opobo, in Opobo Nkoro local government area of Rivers state have been urged to resist the temptation of  fighting over assets left behind by the late monarch as this could be a sure recipe for chaos and anarchy in the royal family. 

Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara gave the advice while paying tributes in honour of the deceased monarch during the funeral church service held at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Opobo Town, weekend. 

Governor Fubara said that rather than dissipating energy fighting over inheritance, members of the royal family should all work towards their own personal successes and  preserve  the peace and unity of the family. 

He warned that fighting over inheritance was needless as the fight would only create division in the royal family while  the  assets would depreciate in value over time. 

“What you inherit are assets. You don’t inherit success. You have to work for your own success. So if you have that in mind, I don’t think there will be any crisis in the family.

So, I want you to have that as a guide. He’s a peaceful man and he will be very sorrowful whenever he sees his family in disarray, fighting over inheritance. Forget about whatever inheritance or assets that our late King has left behind”.

Fubara described the late monarch as a man of class and dignity who  had  a peaceful and successful reign. According to him,  the monarch who joined his ancestors at the age of 83 led the Opobo Kingdom to great heights. 

He noted that outside the legendary King Jaja  and the  other chiefs that founded Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja was the only one that has made very  significant achievements that has brought the kingdom to limelight. He recalled that  during his reign, the  Kingdom produced  a Deputy Governor and a Governor, adding that his transition has to be celebrated. 

“Today, is not a day of mourning.  By  the special grace of God, our late King attained the most important biological age, according to the Bible, which is 70. And because of his deeds, his gentleness and peacefulness, God added another thirteen years  to make it 83. 

“You can understand that for a lot of reasons, he was a successful man. He has done his work.  He lived a very peaceful life. Even when we were battling with who becomes the king, who doesn’t become the king, he kept his  cool. He was peaceful. I describe him as a man of class and dignity. 

“Today, we should celebrate him with peace. We should celebrate him with a sense of fulfilment. We should celebrate him as somebody who has finished his own race and it is now left for us to continue his story.,” he said.

He charged the Amanyanabo-elect  to be prepared to chart a new course for  the kingdom through wisdom and pragmatism, instead of trying to conform with the tradition of  filling  the big shoes left by his predecessor. 

In a  sermon delivered  at the funeral service,  Bishop of the Diocese of Niger Delta,  Dr Emmanuel Oko Jaja reflected on  the transient nature of life and enjoined the congregation to avoid pride and primitive acquisition of wealth as all  such things would be vanities at the end of life. 

The cleric who took his message from Revelation 21: 1-7, reminded the congregation that ultimate authority rests with God, whom he described as the “water of life” for all who seek Him.

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