Opinion: Dr Izonebi’s Vision of Unity for Delta Ijaws, By Ekanpou 

By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Izonebi Alfred is a music philosopher whose serial meditations are always channelled towards the betterment of the Ijaws and mankind in general. For Alfred it was only unity that could enable the production of Ijaw governor in 2023 and so he musically reiterated the importance and centrality of unity in the Ijaws’ move to produce a governor in Delta State. He was musically categorical that the 2023 Delta State Governorship dream of the Ijaws would not be realised if there was no unity. As rightly predicted by Alfred, the Delta Ijaws could not produce the Delta State Governorship because they were disabled and disenabled by dearth of unity and collective vision. Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori democratically became the governor of Delta State in 2023 driven by his clearly situated developmental vision for Delta State. Now all the feelers point to the fact that Governor Oborevwori will be returned democratically in 2027 without opposition because he has convinced Deltans infrastructurally and educationally through his numerous developmental projects and sustained bursary awards payment and offer of scholarships to Deltans.

For Alfred in 2023 whose thoughts were like that of a gifted prophet, he channelled his patriotic meditations in a musical masterpiece entitled ‘Traditional Series’ which moved interestingly from the beginning to the end without deflection from the surveyed path: ‘Story, Story, story, oh story! come together you who are Ijaws; let us sit down together, talk and plan together’. This is the voice of Bekedoumo from Ekeremor town, Okoloba’s wife, the daughter of Famoateiya and Koroyemo.

‘The plans of a poor man do miss their track in the maze of the forest and fall through.’ This is the voice of Beinta of Kpakiama town.

‘If we plan very early in the morning, we shall have a house to run into for refuge in the evening’. This is the voice of Izonebi from Ndorobou Forest.

‘Now that the Ijaws have decided to journey together on one canoe, we shall do something great and remarkable’. This is the voice of Alapala.

Let all the Ijaws dance and jubilate now that all the Ijaws are on one canoe journeying together because we shall achieve something great and remarkable, Wabu. Come over here, you Ekanpou! We shall definitely do something remarkable now that the Ijaws are on a single canoe journeying together jubilantly towards the actualization of the Delta State governorship dream.

Looking at the canoe on which all the Ijaws are journeying away in pursuit of a common vision I can see Clark leading the canoe. Kingsley Otuaro, James Manager, Orubebe and Nicholas are all on the canoe. Kingsley Otuaro is the head of the supportive entourage from Warri South-West Council. Orubebe is leading the supportive group from Burutu Council just like James Manager who is leading the supportive entourage in Bomadi Council. For Funkekeme, Emmanuel Amgbaduba, Enarede, Kelly Penawou, Chief Okrika, Bosini Ebikeme and Alfred Tortor, their supportive positions are firmly held in Burutu, Bomadi and Warri South West Councils. Sibowei, beat the big drum for the Ijaws since they are all paddling together on a single canoe. Ayama, please beat the small drum professionally for me.Egole, please give me professional choral accompaniment.Fereborn, please open your mouth very wide and professionally chorus the song for me. Kingsley my brother, dance continuously and wait jubilantly for the remarkable day.

On the single canoe where all the Ijaws have resolved to journey together are Tompolo, Ek. Clark, Kingsley Otuaro, James Manager, Orubebe, Basil Ganagana, Kelly Penawou,Alfred Bubor, Braduce, Dan Yingi, Frank Enekorogha and Julius Pondi. We shall achieve something remarkable as long as all these personalities are on the governorship canoe in different supportive capacities.

Ei – e-e-e-e, come ye all my Ijaw people! Izonebi is using music to gather you all. So come together all the Ijaws. Governorship is metaphorically a mammy-water. Let us unite and work together because if there is no unity, the whole governorship dream will crumble. The governorship office is the home of inexhaustible wealth and developmental possibilities. Because the governorship is inexhaustible like mammy-water, go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws a bag loaded with the goodies of the office.Let the Bomadi man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies; let the Burutu man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office; let the Warri South-West man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office; let the Patani man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office.If we collectively choose a consensus candidate very early in the morning, we shall succeed and this will do us great good developmentally. It is obviously our turn and we should each be firm in our different ways towards the realisation of our collective governorship dream. However, even if by way of artistic digression, it must be admitted here that this musically anchored reverberating stylistic call on all the Ijaws for a united front is historically a musical stylistic echo of late Kuro-endi of Ayakoromo.

I want you to come together, consensually choose one governorship candidate and massively support the chosen candidate. If you fail to do this, the entire governorship dream will crumble. The would-be Ijaw governor could be from any of the Ijaw Councils in Delta State because any Ijaw man is qualified to carry the governorship flag and labour for its actualization. Irrespective of the Local Government Area the would-be governorship flag-bearer emerges from – Burutu, Bomadi, Patani or Warri South-West – he or she should be massively supported by all the Ijaw people.

Kingsley my brother, come out and dance while waiting for the Delta State governorship because the governorship is coming to the Delta Ijaws. Birifou says philosophically that if your family person does not betray and sell you, a person outside your family circle can never buy and claim you. If the Ijaws work together on one canoe without a voice of dissension, the Ijaw governorship dream shall be realised. Even if you don’t pay attention to my voice, Izonebi has said his own. Even Fereborn and Eniye Egole have said their own too. Those that write books should spread the gospel that it is the turn of the Delta Ijaws to produce the governor. Ekanpou the writer should write to the world that it is the turn of the Ijaws to produce the governor of Delta state in 2023.

Finally, let me add as a cautionary piece in a deliberately repetitive language like a refrain that the Ijaw governorship dream may not come to fruition like a wilted flower if we fail to speak one language and abandon the collectively rigged ship deployed here as the governorship canoe on which all the Delta Ijaws have resolved to journey together towards the prized destination.Conversely, we are likely to produce the governor of Delta State if we work together as a team on one canoe without voices of dissension because all the things there are OTIETIE BIRDS!

Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State