Jaja of Opobo, the man who rose against the odds of poverty and colonial rule to become Nigeria’s first international trader and a millionaire in the 19th century was born as Mbananso Okwaraozurumbaa in a small village in Orlu in what is now Imo State in present-day Nigeria. The founder and king of a prosperous city, he is popularly known as Jaja Opogo, a name given to him by the British which later became his household name. To the Igbos, he is known as Jaja Jubogba or Jo Jo Ubam. He is regarded as a hero who left a mark of great significance in the history of Nigeria and West Africa.