The Elem Kalabari community in Degema Local Council, Rivers State, has come alive after 140 years of abandonment.

An ex-warlord and now the traditional ruler of Elem Kalabari, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, initiated the rebuilding process five months after his installation.

The community had been deserted since 1885.

However, after Dokubo’s installation, he began a reconstruction effort that encouraged people to return.

Speaking at the community centre yesterday during a programme to mark his 61st birthday, Dokubo assured that the abandoned community would witness rapid development.

He said: “What we are going to do, nobody has imagined it. We have started; now you can work freely here after 140 years of abandonment. The kingdom has come alive. Elem Kalabari has come alive. Elem Kalabari is an integral part of the Kalabari nation. There cannot be a king in Elem Kalabari; I am the head of Elem Kalabari under the King of Kalabari.

“Elem Kalabari was at a global stage. It was known all over the world, from 1444 to 1885 when this place was formally evacuated. For me, our movement was ordained by God and something wonderful. We are going to put Elem Kalabari back to the global map.”

The chairman of the organising committee, Sobomabo Jackrich, said the occasion was also to celebrate five months since their return to the community.

Jackrich said, “Ladies and gentlemen, five months ago, we arrived on this land. We are not only celebrating our king’s birthday today, we are also recognising the fact that five months ago, this place was a forest, and there were no people. Maybe, if you find people, there were bunkerers.

“But, today, the place has been transformed. This is not a mere say, this is reality. God has been faithful. For the past five months, we have had no hitches, no challenges, and projects have been going on.”