The Royal Houses of Delta State

Tracing the royal bloodlines of the Niger Delta
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Nnebisi

Obi of Asaba
Asaba Kingdom
Title
Obi of Asaba
Succession
1st Obi of Asaba
Reigned
c. 1600 – c. 1650
Lived
c. 1570 – c. 1650
Children
Anyagbara

About

Nnebisi is the traditional founder of Asaba (originally called 'Ahaba'), a town in present-day Delta State, Nigeria, and is considered the progenitor of the Asaba people. According to oral tradition, he was the son of a prince of the Atta of Igala (from Idah in present-day Kogi State) and a woman named Diaba from Nteje in present-day Anambra State, and he was raised in Nteje before crossing the River Niger to settle at what is now Cable Point in Asaba. The name 'Ahaba' is said to derive from his exclamation 'Ahabam' ('I have got my own') when a sacred rock he carried fell from his head at that location, marking it as his home. The exact dates of his life are disputed, with some traditions placing the founding of Asaba in the 15th century and academic sources suggesting a later period, and no specific birth or death years are reliably documented.

Notable facts

  • Traditional founder of Asaba (originally 'Ahaba'), now the capital of Delta State, Nigeria
  • His mother Diaba was from Nteje (in present-day Anambra State); his father was reportedly a prince of the Atta of Igala from Idah
  • He was born on the west coast of the River Niger at what is now Cable Point, Asaba, but raised in Nteje
  • The name 'Ahaba' (later anglicized to 'Asaba' by the British) is said to come from his exclamation 'Ahabam' meaning 'I have got my own'
  • Ugboma (from Awka Division) is recorded as the first settler in the area before Nnebisi's arrival
  • His descendants form the traditional royal lineage of Asaba, with the current title of the traditional ruler being 'Asagba of Asaba'

🔗 Sources

Where Nnebisi fits

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