The Amanyanabo and Paramount Ruler of Abonnema, in Kalabari land, King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, says Kalabari may not get the desired development until her constituent communities come together as one.
“In addition to coming together as a people, we must find answers to existing challenges as well as decide on our priorities before we can make any headway in the current struggle for ethno-political dominance in Nigeria”, he said.
He noted that the pockets of efforts for social, political and economic advancement of the Kalabari people are not likely to yield much in the face of widespread mutual suspicion and absence of unity of purpose within the various peoples and communities of the Kalabari Kingdom.
The revered monarch, who received a delegation of the Kalabari Media Forum (KMF) in his palace at Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, recently, said Kalabari can no longer sit back and expect the best things in life to happen to her.
King Bob-Manuel said there was so much that even the Kalabari elite could achieve when they forge a common front and are motivated by the overriding interest of the collective rather than the pursuit for untested private goals.
The natural ruler of Abonnema, who is currently the only first class traditional ruler in Kalabari land, commended the Kalabari Media Forum for its patriotic zeal and fervour and urged the group to be tenacious in pursuing the laudable agenda of conscientising the Kalabari people for greatness again.
While granting royal blessing for the Kalabari Media Forum, the Amanyanabo expressed excitement over the apparent passion of the group to change the trajectory of events in the kingdom, adding that he would not only work closely with the group, but give the needed assistance and support to enable it succeed.
Earlier, the Coordinator of KMF, Alabo Dagogo Clinton, told the king that the formation of the group was made imperative by the diminishing visibility, clout and influence of Kalabari in the socio-political and economic drawing board of Rivers State, in particular, and Nigeria in general.
He said following their experiences in the public space, Kalabari was hardly visible in the socio-economic equation of Rivers State after her relevance was celebrated nationally only a few decades ago.
According to Alabo Clinton, his group was literally compelled to initiate a cause of action for Kalabari to regain her position of significance and relevance in the polity not only for her good, but for the good of the State and Nigeria also that yearns for the quality contribution of the unique abilities of the Kalabari people.
He said the group was currently consulting the major leadership houses of Kalabari with a view to obtaining the blessing and support of the traditional institution for the planned campaign to awaken the people for the next level in the pursuit and actualisation of the Kalabari Project.
“Your Majesty Sir, we have noticed with concern the hunger in the average Kalabari for our people to come back to reckoning, not only in Rivers State, but in Nigeria, where our forefathers had placed us”, he said, and implored the King to make available his proven leadership capacity to once again help in reinventing the Kalabari Kingdom.
Alabo Clinton entreated the royal father to escalate the concerns and propositions of the group to the topmost level of Kalabari traditional leadership with a view to galvanizing them to action, irrespective of existing primordial biases.
“His Majesty Sir, as a group, we have put together ideas that can take the Kalabari nation to the next level, but only a committed Pan-Kalabari group can drive the process and bring home the dividends”, he explained, and urged the king to help facilitate the birthing of the group with the mandate to champion the Kalabari cause, as soon as possible.

Opaka Dokubo