Professor I.K Belemu's Legendary Musical Discourse on Gbaramatu Kingdom - Ekanpou

By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Professor I.K Belemu, a legendary Ijaw highlife musician, the creative originator of the famous OWIGIRI dance, was worried by the sufferings of the Gbaramatu Kingdom in the traceable history of Nigeria. Audaciously ambitious about bringing the oppression and exploitation of the Gbaramatu Kingdom to an end, he sang a song that calls on all the Ijaws, including the Tuomo and Kabowei Kingdoms, to unite and liberate Gbaramatu Kingdom from the pains of oppression and exploitation. This musically delivered appeal was made by Professor Belemu some years ago. Except evidentially countered and dismissed later, Professor Belemu is the first Ijaw musician to popularise the oppression and exploitation of the Gbaramatu Kingdom in Nigeria, highlighting the personalities who were the first to lead the movement against the developmental enslavement of the Gbaramatus. It is this legendary song that is being translated here for the world to recognise Professor Belemu as the foremost Ijaw musician who fought for the liberation of Gbaramatu Kingdom from developmental enslavement when awareness still limped like a wounded warship in Enewaridideke Ekanpou's  play, THE WANTED MAN IN CAMP FOUR.

Highlighted progressively, as musically viewed by Professor Belemu, Gbaramatu is a great nation in Ijaw. Crude is their natural endowment bestowed upon them by God..They are oppressed and exploited by people because of their crude oil wealth. Gbaramatu is the home of crude oil. 

Agadabirikurobiri...
A lazy man felled by a strong man...
Gbaramatu is located close to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.They are abundantly blessed with crude oilAll the towns in Gbaramatu Kingdom are blessed with abundant oil.
Gbaramatu is the highest producer of crude oil in Delta  State.Because they are endowed with crude oil, they are  subjected to oppression and exploitation by people.The Gbaramatus insist that they will not bow to oppression and exploitation in the hands of people.
God,  may you free the Gbaramatus from oppression and exploitation in the hands of people.Some personalities are at work to  bring this oppression and exploitation in Gbaramatu Kingdom to an end.And I need to mention the names of these personalities who are involved in this struggle to end the oppression and exploitation of Gbaramatu Kingdom.
His Royal Highness  Eteimo, Gbaraun the second, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom,
His Royal Highness L.M. Erebulou, retired major, the Pere of Kabowei Kingom,
Chief W. Okrika, the Bulouwei /the traditional Prime Minister of Gbaramatu Kingdom,
Hon. Chris Ghomorai, former Commissioner for Finance, defunct Bendel State , and Special Adviser on Finance in Delta State, and Chief JB Ari, the Puowei of Gbaramatu Kngdom, chief clerk,  are the foremost activist frontliners opposed to the oppression and exploitation of Gbaramatu Kingdom.God, please, protect the kings of the various Kingdoms and their children not mentioned here.

Gbaramatu Kingdom, the biggest Kingdom in Ijaw, is a great kingdom.From the towns in Gbaramatu crude oil flows in abundance.
Gbaramatu Kingdom is the source of crude oil.
It saddens that we got nothing in the recent state creation exercise. Even bigger nations that have  already got their own states still had more states.The worst part of the state creation exercise is that even smaller nations , far smaller than the Ijaws, got states but we got nothing. Some got four states, others got ten states.Are we not surprised?A people that feed the entire country are denied their own state in a nationwide state creation exercise.

Gbaramatu Kingdom is made up of many towns.Let me name all the communities that constitute Gbaramatu Kingdom.They are very many and so I cannot mention all.Pardon me even if your town is not mentioned here.
The  communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom are Oporoza, Kunukunuma, Okerenkoko, Beinikurukuru, Kokodiagbene, Azama, Goba, Opuede, Inikorogha, Okpeleama,Opuwedebobo, Pepeama, Kpokpo, Kurutie and Bibopre Zion.

Gbaramatu Kingdom is a great kingdom but it is oppressed and exploited by people.
Against this suffocating oppression and exploitation of Gbaramatu Kingdom, personalities like the king of Kabowei Kingdom, Hon. Chris Ghomorai and Chief Okrika have swung into action, wrestling to end it. Rise Ijaw people!It is an abnormality that the owner of the food, the main owner of the crude oil wealth, is deprived of eating while strangers are allowed to partake of the food.
The poverty of a poor man does not last forever: it has a marked end. Let all Ijaws rise and gather because our sisters and brothers are being oppressed and exploited in Gbaramatu Kingdom.The Tuomo Kingdom, blood brothers to Gbaramatu Kingdom like Kabowei Kingdom, must  gather because Gbaramatu Kingdom is being oppressed and exploited.The Gbaramutu Kingdom must be rescued from the shackle of oppression and exploitation.All Ijaws must rise and gather to end the oppression and exploitation of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

Ijaws are very courageous people; Ijaws don't go sorrowing however the level of oppression and exploitation in the hands of people.
Full of courage and happiness , Ijaws still smile everywhere despite being oppressed and exploited. I am proud to be born an Ijaw man.
Ijaws are courageous people who don't bow to oppression and exploitation.  Ijaws must not be despondent. The Ijaws feed the nation. The ultimate goal is for the Ijaws to rise, gather, innovate and free the Gbaramatu Kingdom from all chains of oppression and exploitation they are subjected to in Nigeria.

Gbaramatu Kingdom is a great kingdom but it is being oppressed and exploited. Oppressed and exploited, all Ijaws must rise, gather and wrestle to put an end to the oppression and exploitation the Gbaramatu Kingdom is being subjected to despite their prodigious oil wealth in Nigeria.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.