ELVIRA’S PEN

NIGERIA TO THE WORLD: THE LEGACY OF KING JAJA OF OPOBO His story is the ultimate testament to resilience, defiance, and the high cost of sovereignty. From the lowest rungs of society to the throne of a powerful kingdom, King Jaja of Opobo's life was an epic journey that ended in tragic betrayal. This is his story.  Part 1: From Slave to King – The Unstoppable Rise Born in 1821. His name was Jubo Jubogha. As a child, he was kidnapped from his Igbo homeland and sold into slavery in the bustling trading state of Bonny. He started at the very bottom—a paddler in a trading canoe. But Jaja possessed a brilliant mind for strategy and commerce. Through sheer shrewdness, he rose through the ranks. After serving his master for a number of years, at the death of his master, by 1863, he took over a heavily indebted Anna Pepple trading house and, through a series of masterful deals, transformed it into a commercial empire. When conflict erupted in Bonny in 1869 with the Manilla Pepple Hous...

PRIORITIZING THE BEST - Elvira Jordan Good Morning Beloved! 🧡 Even if I may not know you personally, you know that I love you dearly and I keep sending these morning messages because I care for you and I want the best for you. But then, no matter how much I love you; no matter how much another may claim to love you, no one can truly love you more than you love yourself. No one can t make the best choices for you if not you, and no one can wish better for you than they wish themselves (except maybe your parents). It is good to have a benevolent heart that wishes the best for others, but why will you relegate your own needs and wellbeing to please another? Why will you value another person’s happiness above yours? As much as we all claim to reject the spirit of “people pleasing”, there are times when we just feel the need to make others happy which is very good, but not at the expense of our own happiness. No! You deserve the best of everything and if life gives you the opportunity to c...

A JOURNEY WITH LESSONS (story time) - Elvira Jordan Good Morning Beloved 💛 Today I want to share a story with us. Whatever lesson you pick from it, do well to share your thoughts with me. So I recently traveled from Benin to Port Harcourt and it was quite an eventful and funny journey. Hopefully I will get into the details of the journey later but some things others would have seen as normal happened to me, that gave me a new insight on life. For sometime now my phone has been giving all kinds of indication that it needs to be replaced. So many other expenses have been putting off my efforts to get a new one. On my journey to PH, our bus made its routine stop at a popular eatery in Ughelli where passengers can get some food, use the restroom, stretch a bit and get back to their journey. I didn’t have breakfast that morning so I got some food and went to sit close to a socket so I could charge my phone that was already off due to low battery. I excused an elderly man who was sitting on...

Welcome to Plateau State, the Home of Peace and Tourism, where culture, history, and breathtaking landscapes come together beautifully. Today, we’re celebrating three major tribes that make Plateau State truly unique — the  Bero m ,  Ngas , and  Afizere . Located on the beautiful high grounds of the Jos Plateau, the  Berom  are known for their scenic  landscapes and rolling hills.  They speak the  Berom  language and span about  four local government areas.  Their vibrant culture comes al ive during festivals like  Nzem   Berom  (held every March/April),  Nzem   Tou Chun, and  Wusal   Berom .  Food lovers, take note ! Their traditional staple is  chun  ( fonio ), served as  tuk   chun  with any soup, or enjoyed as  katai   chun  (wild vegg ie soup).  As time went, the  Beroms  adopted  pwana  and  ngai  (millet) for gru...