The morning air in Bonny felt crisp as I stepped off the boat onto the island pier on Thursday, December 19, 2025, the night before the ceremony. I could hear rhythms before I saw them, the beating of drums pulsing across water and marketplace, the welcome of a community gathering for something deeply significant.
Friday: Soft Openings and Familiar Faces
Friday was a warm-up of sorts, a soft opening to the main rites that lay ahead. This was the first day of the Iria ceremony for Her Royal Highness Queen Paula Tamunoipiriye Pepple, a festival rooted in Ibani cultural identity and community belonging, and an observance that in Bonny holds both traditional and modern resonance. What struck me immediately was how the entire town seemed to breathe with color; and ancestral pride woven into every smile and greeting.
Elders sat in quiet conversation under the shade of tents and trees while community groups in matching wrappers rehearsed chants and dances.
Saturday: Ceremony at the Royal Palace
Saturday dawned bright, the kind of sunrise that seemed to bless every corner of Bonny. By mid-morning, the Royal Palace grounds had filled with people: chiefs in beaded regalia, guests in embroidered shirts, women in all kinds of flowery wrappers and pretty ornaments. It was here, at Ikuba Square and adjacent halls, that the heart of the Iria unfolded.
Queen Paula herself danced out radiant in traditional attire. The rhythms of age-old songs filled the air, as she was escorted by the elderly ladies and men of the Queen’s guard.
Conversations flowed from one topic to another—heritage, family, and the meaning of rites that tie the generations together.
It was a ceremony for the queen, yet the energy belonged to everyone present: market women swaying with spirited chants; elders offering blessings; young men drumming as if alive with the island’s heartbeat.
Governor Fubara spoke to assembled chiefs and community leaders, acknowledging Bonny’s cultural legacy and its wider significance for Rivers State. Addressing traditional rulers and members of the Chiefs Council, the governor described Bonny as a strategic economic hub of global importance, noting that its status required a stronger and more visible government presence to complement the activities of multinational companies operating in the area, particularly Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG).
According to him, Bonny’s growth over the years had outpaced the level of government infrastructure, stressing the need for urgent intervention.
“Bonny has expanded. It needs internal roads and more economic activities. NLNG is here, and the government needs to be here too,” Fubara said.
He announced plans to construct new internal road networks across the kingdom, undertake shoreline protection projects to address erosion, and implement initiatives aimed at stimulating local economic activities to promote sustainable development.
“Before the end of the first quarter of 2026, you will see and feel the presence of the Rivers State Government here,” the governor assured.
Sunday: Thanksgiving at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church
Sunday brought calm reflection. At St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, people gathered not in festival dress but in thoughtful quiet, the kind that comes only with shared understanding and gratitude. Worship was simple yet profound. Families, visitors from across Rivers State, and cultural custodians softly recounted the joy of the weekend, the bonds renewed, and the lessons learned.
In the faces around me, I saw reverence for history and respect for the role Queen Paula plays—not just as a royal figure but as someone who embodies the values of heritage, dignity, and community stewardship.
Closing Thoughts
Across three days, what stood out most wasn’t just the pageantry, though that was beautiful. It was the interplay of past and present, laughter and reflection, individuals and institution. I left Bonny thinking about how culture lives not in museums but in moments like these—in gatherings under open skies, in elders’ quiet smiles, in the dance of drums that echo long after the festival ends.
It was a privilege to witness the Iria ceremony of Queen Paula Tamunoipiriye Pepple, an experience grounded in tradition but alive with human warmth and cultural pride. And if Bonny has taught me anything over these days, it’s that some celebrations are truly ceremonies of belonging.
