The Pilgrimage to Gbaraun Egbesu Temple in Oporoza, By Enewaridideke Ekanpou 

By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Certain realities in life are fundamental, carrying the valence of indispensability to existence on earth because these realities guarantee bond-formation in spiritual, cultural, sociological, philosophical and cabalistic dimensions. Anchorage point ranks the highest among these basic realities because bond-formation – even if it is chemical or electrical – is the nucleus of life driven by healthy spirituality.

Towards bond-formation in a world of healthy spirituality, life loses its progressive nectar without any identified anchorage point . Even birds find branches to perch on and catch their breath after flight. Flight and perching are usually arrived at geometrically by birds because flight and perching devoid of geometric anchor and calculation would be a field day for hunters exceptionally gifted to shoot without missing their target.

Beyond being exceptionally gifted, these hunters are superior to the birds in their geometric anchor and calculation; so there are moments the mind longs for anchorage point – sometimes for physiological
rejuvenation and sometimes for psychic fortification in designated holy temples of worship.

For some persons religiously awakened with ecumenical inclination and exposure, the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple in Oporoza is viewed as a veritable anchorage point and spiritual /cultural energy field. Any spiritual and cultural energy field is meant to be tapped for spiritual sustainability if it has no accessibility problem when one is ready to pilgrimage there.

Alerted to the existence of a spiritual and cultural energy field in Oporoza, open to individual appropriation only through pilgrimages, and with a mind thirsty for theological, philosophical, mystical, tourist and cultural rejuvenation, with a mind adequately prepared to observe keenly and dispel myths, falsehood and propaganda deliberately cooked and wildly peddled about traditional African mysticism, culture and Tompolo”s approach to Egbesu and allied Niger Delta issues, I journeyed to Oporoza in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State on the 5th, 16th, 17th and 18th of January 2026. It was a journey to the discovery of the existing truth in the famous Gbaraun Egbesu Temple of worship and pilgrimage. It was also a journey to the discovery of truth in the theological, cabalistic, traditional and cultural activities. This is occasioned by the reality that in Oporoza one can see a harmonious chronology of mysticism , culture and tourism cabalistically commingled to form a meaningful whole.

In the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple in Oporoza there was no dulling moment because there were always vivacious activities cabalistically programmed in a manner one could enjoy from any chosen perspective – philosophical, anthropological, theological, mystical, tourist and cultural. Before heads went captivatingly buried in cabalistic engagements, the tourist sights provided by the temple and the surrounding edifices, the frolicking rams and the singing goats obviously content with anytime chosen for them to be taken away to pay homage to the Egbesu Temple were quaintly touching.The sense of warmth, liveliness, vivacity, joy, contentment and fulfilment displayed by the strolling rams, the goats, the caged fluttering birds and the white natural birds of the sky that alighted on the roofs and ground of the beautiful edifices that house all pilgrims /worshippers provided an inspiring spectacle comparable to a tourist dish of entertainment meant chiefly for the eyes.

In the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple the traditional percussionists and the singers played roles relevant to the execution of their cabalistic tasks. There was a talented harmony and symphony in the order the beaten drums and songs were engaged. The Chief Opuozi drummer, with a skillful exploitation of his left heel on the drum followed by calculated raising of the drumsticks, attuned to the antiphonies of the singers, Tompolo suddenly appeared on the dancing arena between the two processions of dancers attired in pure white clothes. Holding a white fan that sporadically did some imaginary fanning directed to himself, Tompolo began to nod his head here and there, though accurately to the directional language of the drum. After a spell of captivating communication between the two, Tompolo smartly disappeared into the temple to do some ablutions for people. The moment of communication between the Chief percussionist and Tompolo was a memorable spectacle as he (Tompolo) waa seen dancing gracefully with calculated dignified steps effortlessly changed here and there without any clash with the drumming and the rising antiphonies.

The communication directed at Tompolo which gave a catalogue of his mystical titles to which he nodded affirmatively and did exactly what corresponded to the drum language, struck me like a herald of the arrival of the priestess named Ibolomoboere. The communicative session was followed almost immediately by appearance of the priestess who walked into her own temple with dignity without anyone crossing the path she was walking on. Young, healthy and agile men formed two processions and danced gracefully to the waterfront repeatedly , sometimes interspersed with swift and slow calculated steps dictated by the drum language and the antiphonies.

The procession of the agile young men took both horizontal and vertical dimensions on the arena; sometimes they were seen only jumping as if possessed by the god of dancing, their hands raised to the sky in imaginary but skillful communication that kept spectators captivated without boredom. The vivacious movement of these two processions led majorly by a young man named Ebelebe, continued beyond the sacrificial communication between the assigned goats and the gods. The drums and the songs only died when it was time for meal for all pilgrims and worshippers to partake of from the slaughtered goats which bore some resemblance to the last super in the Bible.

Sacrificial communication at the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple and the temple of Ibolomoboere differed. At the temple of Ibolomoboere one only saw willing goats ready to pay their last homage in the sacred temple. In the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple one only saw willing rams proud to be chosen as part of the sacrificial communication. As a prelude to the sacrificial communication of rams, a purely cabalistic task was performed on the seventh rung of the white mystical ladder. From the first rung to the sixth rung of the mystical ladder, Tompolo was visible but became invisible as soon as he stepped on the seventh rung of the mystical ladder. At that moment fear gripped the pilgrims. With bated breath the worshippers and the pilgrims waited for Tompolo to re-appear. Tompolo became visible again as he stepped on the sixth rung of the mystical ladder in his descending order. This was once accompanied by vivacious drumming and singing as a herald of the commencement of sacrificial communication with rams as the pure offering from the believers.

A very rich heavy meal followed after the sacrificial communication of rams had ended. It was time for the pilgrims to eat to their fill. At this time there was no drumming, singing and dancing as all the drumming , singing and dancing had been staged and exhausted during the sacrificial communication of rams. Before the meal of rams cooked, prayers for Ijaw nation and Nigeria were offered by the king of Gbaramatu Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oboro Gbaraun II. It was a supplication for all pilgrims and worshippers to be blessed by God through Egbesu .The invocation of benediction upon everybody was a very special session as the voice of the king of Gbaramatu Kingdom echoed far into the sky to the abode of the Almighty God.

Strictly following traditional procedures, Tompolo communicated cabalistically with the Cosmic through healthy exploitation of the sacred codes and formulas of Egbesu retrievable from the ancient temple. Keenly watching the cabalistic steps of Tompolo, it was clear he was more interested in walking religiously on the right path of the positive constructive forces that hate impurities in any form. If a man walks religiously on the path of the positive constructive forces made up of God and the supernatural forces, he will not err; but where he errs , he can only err on the path of justice, philanthropy, sensitivity, sympathy and love for mankind. Tompolo could err but only on the side of positive engagements for mankind plagued by harsh existential challenges.

Pilgrimage to any place pays handsomely provided the pilgrim is not impure-hearted, envious, gossipy, narrow-minded and benighted. One could pilgrimage in Oporoza, Akparemogbene, Oyangbene , Ayakoromo, Ekameta, Israel, Mecca or any other place where African mysticism and culture tell an intriguing story of depth worth exploring. Whether or not the pilgrimage would produce beneficial result, depends on the mindset of the pilgrim because KARMA dwells in the Gbaraun Egbesu Temple. However, my recent pilgrimage to Oporoza was memorable in every dimension because I have gathered new resources with which one can firmly establish the globalisation of traditional African mysticism and culture by Tompolo. This means Egbesuism is being progressively globalised like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Confucianism. I have also gathered new materials that have the potential to pulverise any falsehood peddled about High Chief Dr Tompolo and High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro as regards African mysticism, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.