PORT-HARCOURT CENTENARY CELEBRATION

Introduction

The mystery of Port Harcourt is that
everybody is a 'Port Harcourt boy'.
Popular musician, Duncan Mighty,
exploited the intense ownership of the city that
most of its residents feel when his song - 'Port
Harcourt Boy' made waves in Nigeria. Now even
people who live at Ahoada, a town located two
hours away from Port Harcourt, say they are Port
Harcourt boys.

In the Beginning

In 1913, the colonial administration decided to
establish a town as a potential railway terminus and
port to export the coal which had been discovered
in commercial quantities in Enugu, some 230
kilometres to the north, four years before. They
forced the people of Diobu to cede their land; and
in 1913 began building a port city.
In August 1913, the Governor-General of Nigeria,
Sir Frederick Lugard, wrote to Lewis Vernon
Harcourt, then Secretary of State for the Colonies.
"In the absence of any convenient local name, I
would respectfully ask your permission to call this
Port Harcourt," his letter stated.
The Secretary of State replied: "It gives me
pleasure to accede to your suggestion that my name
should be associated with the new port."
Buoyed by the trade in coal, the town grew, and
within a few years had absorbed the surrounding
villages of Mkpogua, Oroworukwo and Umuomasi.

Our Own Thing

As Port Harcourt celebrates its centenary, a self-
acclaimed Port Harcourt boy, Emmanuel Adikom-
Amadi, captures this overall feeling of pride in a
city steeped in a century of rich history. Adikom-
Amadi, a 48-year-old contract staff with an oil
company in Port Harcourt, describes the city as a
place that shares a special place in his heart.
"Port Harcourt is a special place that I can always
escape the outside world and concentrate on other
important things in my life," he said.
"I think of Port Harcourt when I need an extremely
different atmosphere. This atmosphere provides a
sense of comfort and stability.
When driving into the metropolis, I am quick to
notice the tingly feeling of the full plush and lush
green grass caressing my naked eye as if I was at
the beach standing on the shoreline allowing the
cool waves to filter through my toes. The sweet
smell of the town sifts through my nose from the
glade."

Culture of the People

According to Adikom-Amadi, Port Harcourt has
moved away from some of its diabolic cultural
ways to a modernised style that the world is
beginning to reckon with. Back in the day, the Rebisi
people (owners of Port Harcourt) worshiped various
deities - the most prominent being the Ojukwu
Diobu (located at Ogbum-nu-abali Road around the
Amadi Flats Junction).
The Rebisi also worshiped Womini Rewhnu, a deity
located behind the current College of Education,
off Aba Road. It was said then that the Womini
Rewhnu was a god of peace and was situated at a
place where salt and fresh water met. The salt
water was surrounded by the fresh water but never
mixed and at night the place lighted up. There was
also the Oha Emeru, located around the current
Government Comprehensive Secondary School, at
what is now known as Borikiri but was called
Ruhwnu-Abali back in the day. The deity was a tree
that reportedly used to bleed when it was cut. The
Ruhwnu-Eli (face of the land) was located behind
the current House of Assembly quarters and the
Rebisi people worship there up till today when
they celebrate Rebisi Day.
Adikom-Amadi explained that at a time, the city's
culture was hijacked by local thugs who took
advantage of the people's tradition to form small
cult groups that were used to terrorise the town.
For him, the return of peace in the state hastened
the pace of development and the people are
happy about the current situation.
He said that the government and people of Port
Harcourt can today afford to embark on a cultural
revival and to celebrate their cultural endowments
after years of being kept off the streets by guns.
Presently, they are revisiting a cultural fiesta,
Carnival Rivers or Carniriv, which came into
existence about two decades ago.
Every December, Rivers State has, since the last
five years, been a bee-hive of festivities as the
governor, his wife and other prominent individuals
in the state, lead the people to the streets to
make merry.
We wish Port-harcourt people à happy celebration.