THE AMAKOSUWEI OF BOBOUGBENE COMMUNITY, PA. ASIAYEI MUSA DAVID TO SAIL TO DUAMAPERE AS  DELEGATE ON JULY 1, 2022, By Asiayei Enaibo

•A TRIBUTE TO MY LATE UNCLE

A town hall meeting was held in Duamabou by the Duamapere HRM. The King of Death in the early period of March before April 17th, emissaries or children delegates were sent to visit Pa. Asiayei Musa, the Amakosuwei of Bobougbene Community, in Burutu LGA, Delta state; the first son of my grandfather, late Pa. Asiayei Ogijoh, the Esena-Ibe Olotu, who died on the 4th of May 1971, when I was preparing for my reincarnation trip to the Mother Earth through the Asiayei’s lineage of Late Dokori Asiayei, a Nigerian Army RTD, a man with written and Oral adequacy set him apart from the mute talkative of Jungle awareness, his eloquent prowess and historical knowledge can only be traced to sage-hood of ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle whose knowledge I inherited the Talking Drum Skill of writing and talking by setting a new empire for myself by and by.

The King of death sent delegates to invite Pa. Asiayei in March to pay him a visit with people identified by my Uncle, Pa. Asiayei Musa who has been soliloquizing with those invincible visitors from Duamapere for him to follow them to the great beyond, yes, it is a known tradition in Ijaw land to welcome visitors in his home or town to know their mission and possibly to assist them. Those delegates, according to Late Pa. Asiayei Musa who accommodated them for days and the children refused to go but insisted to go with my Uncle who in the voyage of his 90 years on earth has no children but he had created a simple life pattern, so peaceful and lovely that all his Nephews and Nieces become his children and Enaibo become his first son as he often says. Yes, for I love to be with old men and women to learn from their life experiences, and they are part of my literature in sense and sensibilities, which flow unconsciously and infuse different thoughts as the interpreters are always around when I write in the realm of creativity.

However, Old men and women would always like to rest and any noise is a distraction to their well-being. Yes, since the death of Dokori, Pa. Musa became our responsibility and the prayers of the old are closer to God than the Youths because they have repented and freed themselves from mundane sins, for they are departed sinners, conditioned by old age and whatever they decree with their mouths in joy is made manifest, and also in anger for their words are powerful, those they blessed are blessed, those they curse are cursed, as they ascend to become our ancestors.

Notwithstanding, the world of transition is full of so many stories beyond human transcendental knowledge but those who have mastered themselves know this phenomenon when it comes. Bestman Doupere the great Izon music philosopher described Duamabou as a land that has nothing, no food, no house, that all his parents are under the rain and Sun, Bestman should enjoy himself before coming. Such mysteries await us all.

Old age and its unending sagas await all of us at different stages of our earthly evolution. The lonely house becomes suddenly overcrowded with children but Duamapere couldn’t give him a child but sent children to come around to trumpet him to the great beyond, ‘Dade’ could no longer bear the inconveniences of the visitors he sees alone and spoke out in anger that he took his walking stick to chase them to go, my sister, Preye Asiayei put a call to me that “your uncle, ‘Dade’ is acting strange” that I should come over. Really, my legs are in between township and home so I rushed to Bobougbene and bought Dade his favourite drink, seaman (Abadewuru) but Dade’s body was cold already, I tried to remind him to tell us some stories but the traditional librarian seems to no longer flow as he used to be, but he still told us same mysterious stories of children occupying his abode. Yes, when we gave birth on earth, people celebrate and drink, and children will rally around the newborn baby, so Dade too is perceived as an incoming new soul to Duamapere.

Yes, It is once said that “old men are the archive we have in our communities, those that are closer to them automatically become elders in family historical knowledge”, so I was attached to Dade as well as my late father Pa. GD. Asiayei. But today, the saying is completed that when an old man dies in a community, it is like a library set ablaze, this is so, the great memory has been formatted to be new again in another world.

Yes, Duamapere came with his unwanted visitors not too long after Pa. Musa fell and hit his head at his brother’s place, Chief Zaiky Asiayei where he went to the restroom, made with blocks which were strange to him because what Dade knows is the edge of the canoe, where it is known to the Ijaws of old to defecate, but this strange English toilet in our community has killed the Amakosuwei. He slumped and hit his head against the block, and got broken. Another call came to me through my Elder sister, Preye, via the telephone; her voice was shocked with grieving and tearing that the worse has happened, and Dade will not be saved. So it came to pass on the 17th of April, 2022, on Sunday morning at hours when Duamapere came so Pa. Musa Asiayei to attend the National Confab as an unpaid delegate to the great beyond without any Dollar for us. Duamapere why?

Yes, when he died, he often told me that once I died, I should be buried without taking him to the Mortuary because he would like to travel straight to where he came from, so when he died, I quickly made a call to a man I respect so much, Chief Dennis Otuaro that this is the situation at home, the Ibe-Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom quickly responded to me financially, added to my pocket, so I quickly moved to my Community, Bobougbene to bury Dade, the Amakosuwei. But unfortunately, the family said that he should be put in the Mortuary so we could have little time to plan, so I did not argue with them, and we deposited his body in Okwagbe Mortuary, seeing him lifeless, I gave him all the appellations of our family titles, Andaribiokpo! Egbomo! Oborisibo! Isena- Ibe- Pluto, Akokobebepukepuke, no answer. Tears imprisoned in my eyes rolled. Those who said that he should be kept in the Mortuary, for they have disobeyed his decision and wish, so Dade revealed himself to Sister Preye, and those who were taken care of him collectively when he was alive; he told sister Preye that where they kept him, could not allow him to travel, as he is tied down. My sister woke up and put a call to me the next morning that we need to hold a family meeting to bury Dade without wasting time. I was laughing via the telephone that this will come that when Talking Drum told you, people, to bury him the day he died, nobody listened to it. Those who could not obey his simple wish, he will appear to.

Yes, he was a peaceful man, so simple that he has no problem with anybody if you give him food he eats if you don’t, he is not bothered, so my Sister, Mrs Ebikaboere Elaweremi, sister Preye, Township Ebiyeibo, Asiayei Ebi, Mrs Nigeria Asiayei the Wife of my late father whom Dade later turned to be her son, she took greater responsibility of his domestic shores, many more in Bobougbene Community, yes, Hon. Sunday Feke the Chairman of Okosuotu maintainers club, may God bless you all. Mrs Perekebina Zipele-Asiayei, the sister to Dade, Aunty Barasa, you have done your share in taking care of your brother, then to our able Warri mama, the Awouboyinma, Mama Elizabeth, Awosu-Asiayei you are truly a mother, those who took care of Pa. Musa Asiayei till his death, your reward is coming behind, “Oge tuwabomene” as Alfred Izonebi says it.

Yes, to Asiayei Enaibo David the Talking Drum, the adopted, Volunteer first son, my love to the old, may God grant my mental prayers to be the king of Toru-Ibe state when created and may people never argue my kingship like the way its on-going at Aghoro community in Bayelsa state. Amen.

And those who are to join the Talking Drum in thoughts of prayers and support, may you become Amakosuwei/Amakosu-ere in your communities. To Chief Dennis Otuaro, the Ibe-Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, May you grow to become the Amakosuwei of the Okerenkoko community, for this, I pray to all in this tribute.

For the departed Dade, extend my greetings to my grandfather Asiayei Ogijoh and My father. Pa. Dokori your brother that Talking Drum should be blessed to strengthen the empire they left behind.

Finally, Dade later became Nicodemus in the bible as a born again to the Assemblies of God Church, Ayakoromo, yes the church has played a role so Godly to acknowledge. God bless the residence Pastor Lazarus Obiebi, may your church never lack Offerings in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The journey of Dade stops and continues where the believers called Heaven, see you when to see you.

Adieu, the Amakosuwei of the Bobougbene Community!

Asiayei Enaibo
The Talking Drum writes by GbaramatuVoice Media Centre.