Izonebi Alfred to the World without the Walls - Ekanpou

By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Dr. (h.c.) Izonebi Alfred of Ndoro, Torugbene and Oyangbene in Bayelsa  and Delta States, popularly called Jking, with identifiable marks of compositional and stage performance kingship  and honorific professorship in Ijaw music, has fled Nigeria to engage his task of storytelling in music and stage performance in the UK. This signals a move to give a global face and stamp to his music career long handicapped by global outreach beyond the shores of Nigeria. For some keen observers of the Ijaw music industry, this globalisation void or darkness likened to the void and darkness upon the earth when God created man in his own image and likeness, was a jinx cast on the Ijaw music industry for ages.

Retrospectively, many legends in Ijaw music have journeyed to the underworld without this jinx broken. Legends like King Dr.(h.c.) Robert Ebizimor, Field Marshall Echo Toikumoh, Professor IK Belemu, Hon. Agbeotu Teiyeibo, Bestman  Doupere and many others sought to break this jinx through a global  platform to internationalise their music but without any result because of the 'wailing and wilting wallets' of their enthusiastic believers, supporters and promoters. For King Ebizimor it was an excruciating pain that the Fulanis had facilitated Ajasco's trip  abroad to dance for global recognition while he was still within the shores of Nigeria, ambitiously glued to his music career.King Ebizimor musically appealed to the Ijaws to take him abroad to globalise his musical storytelling but this came to nothing because of 'wailing wallets' in Ijaw nation.

 Certain King Ebizimor could not have the global space for his music career, he philosophically projected that the genuinely hardworking and gifted  musicians coming after him would have the global platform to advance their music career. Dr. (h.c.) Alfred has become the first beneficiary of the futurologically grounded philosophical projection of King Ebizimor in this present generation.

 The refrain that no Ijaw highlife musician has got the global platform to sing and entertain music enthusiasts beyond the shores of Nigeria has historically  become a cliche because Alfred has broken the jinx without being gloatingly exhibitionist in his public persona and comportment. Very calm canal was his public comportment despite the roaring global recognition that accompanied his journey to UK. However, Alfred's trip to UK was not without wailing walls that characterised the days of King Ebizimor.

 Dr. Alfred's journey to UK  was initially bedevilled by wailing wallets and walls. At a time he thought he would be consumed and face ejections like JP Clark in his famous book AMERICA THEIR AMERICA when confronted with the wailing wallets and walls that habitually created walls of ejection  for ambitious Ijaw  artistes, something memorably dramatic happened
In the days of King Ebizimor the walls were closed because they were too towering for Ijaw musicians to climb for the crown of global visibility. How towering and terrifying the walls were stemmed from the wailing wallets of promoters of Ijaw music at that time.

Terrified by the towering walls occasioned by the wailing wallets of Ijaw music promoters, Alfred confided in High Chief Dr.(h.c.) Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) the towering walls that habitually killed the global dreams of ambitious musicians.  Tompolo went mystical and told Alfred to take seven steps and chant Matthew, Kestin and Dennis seven times as unique 'human-vowels' of his own creation. In the human-vowels created from Matthew Tonlagha, High Chief Kestin Pondi and High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro lie a magic formula of dream-realisation. The vibrations carried by these three names broke the walls like the walls of Jericho, revealing smiling wallets to whom the walls of barricade bow. Tompolo armed Alfred with a mystical principle to break the walls of barricade that habitually eject ambitious Ijaw musicians and kill their global dream. In a world  where walls are ejected by smiling wallets, flight for globalisation of his storytelling in music is the propelling word for Alfred.

Different activities followed the welcome formalities of Alfred as he was taken to different places for familiarisation and acclimatisation  as a new arrival in the UK. Right at 2 North Street, London, a dignifying meet-and-greet session was held for Alfred. It was an opportunity for the Ijaws in London to catch sight of the famous Jking now honorifically seen as a professor of Ijaw music based on  his unbeatable compositional versatility and stunning stage performances. Heavily entertained by Ijaws in London, he skillfully sang his seminal song 'Izon-ebe to the world' to the thunderous ovations of the people there. Alfred's rendition of his song was critically characterised as an electrifying performance that confirmed his professorship and kingship of Ijaw music.

Alfred's visit to the United Kingdom was not a sedentary and stationary one. He was always on the move like the tide in the Ndoro River that only changes the direction of the flow without a cessation in  the tidal communication. From West Yorkshire, Leeds City to Hull City, he mingled up with Ijaw people who always gave him traditional entertainment as demanded in the culture of Ijaw people all over the world. Precisely, in the morning of 25 December 2025, he was treated to a memorable welcome by Ijaw people in Hull City.

Alfred was chiefly in the United Kingdom to tell stories musically and globalise the Ijaw culture and his music career. Right before the Ijaws in Manchester City in the afternoon, he gave the Ijaws from Liverpool, Shiefield, Portsmouth, Cambridge,  Bournemouth, London, Leeds and many other cities an unforgettable live performance. The Ijaws rhythmically communicated with their bodies as Dr. (h.c.) Alfred told great stories in music that brought back long forgotten memories. Between 24 and 25 December 2025, Dr. (h.c) Izonebi Alfred was able to break the jinx on Ijaw highlife musician's inability to leave the shores of Nigeria and globalise the Ijaw culture through music. Historically, Alfred has been visibly situated as the first Ijaw  highlife in his generation to fly to the United Kingdom to engage his storytelling and stage performance in music as a global platform to internationalise Ijaw culture and his music culture, having as a propelling enabler the smiling wallets of Matthew, Kestin and Dennis who have magnanimously decreed Alfred's journey to the world without the walls of barricade and ejection.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.