Ahead of his coronation, the Amanyanabo-Elect of Opobo, His Majesty, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja paid a private visit to the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V.
The Opobo Monarch’s visit, which took place on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at the Obong’s Hill top residence at Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, was to notify the Obong of his forthcoming coronation.
Information made available to the Media by the Obong’s Palace indicate that during the visit, both traditional rulers recalled the existing age-old ancestral relationship between their Kingdoms.
The visit, which is part of the monarch’s formal engagements ahead of his coronation, afforded him and his host the opportunity to reminisce the longstanding commercial and political links between Opobo and Calabar Kingdoms – two historic Niger Delta city-states – which dates back to the oil-palm trade era.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Calabar functioned as a major trading and administrative centre, while Opobo rose as a key commercial power under King Jaja, Jeki I.
Trade between both kingdoms was sustained through regional networks that included Eket and surrounding coastal and inland communities, where commercial interaction between traders from both sides was common.
Calabar also developed as a centre of Efik and Ibibio society and later hosted European missionary activity, including the work of Rev. Hope Waddell and Mary Slessor.
Opobo’s rise in the late 19th century coincided with the expansion of palm oil trade across the Niger Delta. Its port at Egwanga became a major export point for palm produce.
King Jaja of Opobo built his influence on trade control and structured relations with neighbouring communities, combining commerce with diplomacy to sustain Opobo’s economic position.
He also resisted external commercial pressures that threatened Opobo’s autonomy, a factor that has shaped historical assessments of his leadership.
The visit by King Charles MacPepple Jaja to Calabar is the first major engagement of his pre-coronation programme.
It reflects continued interaction between traditional institutions in the Niger Delta, particularly those with shared historical trade and cultural ties.
The engagement is expected to strengthen relations between Opobo and Calabar ahead of the new monarch’s coronation.
