The Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, DSSRS, JP, Edward I, Perekule XI, has expressed strong displeasure over the indiscriminate selling of land in the Kingdom.
King Pepple came out with this on Monday, April 27, 2026, during the introduction of the firm developing the new Bonny Kingdom Master Plan, Verraki and Partners, at the Bonny Consulate in Bonny, Rivers State.
He particularly upbraided those involved in illegal land sales along both sides of the Bodo- Bonny Road and adjoining areas.
Describing the practice as “very unfortunate”, the Monarch berated a situation where some persons, who he said thought they were smarter than others, responded to the actualization of the Bonny-Bodo Road by selling lands on both shoulders of the road.
He cautioned that Bonny Kingdom would not hesitate to reclaim any land required for community development in line with the forthcoming Bonny Kingdom Master Plan.
The Amanyanabo stressed that claims of private land ownership in the Kingdom are spurious and lacking substance, noting that lands in Bonny, which the Kingdom holds in trust, are not meant to be sold but to be preserved and developed for the benefit of both present and future generations.
He urged the people to embrace the broader vision of the Master Plan, which is conceptualized to benefit all,
and warned against compromising the future of the Kingdom by disposing of every available parcel of land.
“For Bonny to grow, we must be ready and willing to make sacrifices and put aside our selfish interests. This idea of some people that the only way to make money is by selling land must stop.”
“If those before us had sold all the lands, where would we be today? We must think about the future; we must see the bigger picture which is to leave behind something that posterity will be proud of.”
On concerns raised about the non-implementation of previous Master Plans, His Majesty emphasized that past failures do not mean the Kingdom is incapable of executing future ones, advising that the reasons behind earlier setbacks should be identified and corrected.
Expressing confidence in the Bonny Local Government Council to provide full support for the successful implementation of the new Master Plan, King Edward assured that all issues regarding the feasibility of the Master Plan would be holistically addressed.
“We need the support and buy-in of the government in order to implement the Master Plan. I have no fear because I know I have the full support of the Local Government Council Chairman,” he affirmed.
He urged Verraki and Partners to remain professional and expressive, by engaging widely with all stakeholders and individuals to ensure the Master Plan captures and reflects the developmental aspirations of both communities and individuals in Bonny Kingdom.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of Bonny Chiefs’ Council, Se-Alabo Dagogo Soala Claude-Wilcox, had clarified that the vision of the Bonny Monarch and the Kingdom was not about acquiring land but about fostering collective development.
Making a presentation on behalf of Verraki and Partners, Stanley Cookey explained that the Master Plan aims to achieve total diversification of Bonny’s economy by 2050.
He highlighted Bonny’s potential to become a leading hub for investment and tourism. According to him, the plan rests on four strategic pillars: Economic Diversification, Infrastructure Development, Sustainability and Citizen Engagement.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the King Perekule Palace, Adolf Pepple, informed that in attendance at the event were the Chairman of Bonny LGA, Abinye Pepple, members of the Bonny Chiefs Council, a delegation representing the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), senior government officials, stakeholders, and representatives of various chieftaincy houses.