Feature/OPED
The Dialogue: Tompolo and Aziza Deity, Vows Fulfilment and the 119 Years Birthday Celebration in the Forest of the Gods
Asiayei Enaibo
AZIZA Father Igologolo, Aferekiripon! I dip my fingers into your pot of power to redeem my father’s vow made before your sacred altar in the days of antiquity before I came to see the light of the Earth when I was you, and now I am you, then you in your mercy made my father smile before men of this land. In your greatness, the emblem of your Lion existed in my flesh and soul, I have come in human flesh to say thank you as a gatekeeper to man and the gods.
I came through your passage, and you made me spirit in human form while you are the lion I represent here. Eferekirikpon! Igologolo! What men or human offence I have done, you can’t hurt yourself from whom I am sent to do the will I am here on Earth.
Man is nothing before you, and you are both day and night through your words, I have come to fill the vacuum in Ijaw nation. I came to build your temples on the lips and hearts of men for what I am sent for so that generations upon generations of our heritage will not go into extinction, and your values will return; that is the will of the gods and God to man. For you made me God’s begotten son to be on Earth for 119 years as it is written before I was born. Yes, the holy book said 120 years for those who are pure in heart and do thou will, and you said 119 years, Aziza, Father Igologolo, you spoke to me in dreams and made your manifestation to celebrate my birthday, so I have come to do your wishes, for I am Oweizide Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, the eyes of the gods, a messenger sent to do the ancient tradition and powers of Ijaw land. I have not brought any new deity to mankind, but to bring back what was before my coming, may you watch over me above the trials, temptations and persecution of man; AZIZA, the invisible forest where men and women do not play in vanity.
A man who finds pleasure in no other things than in the temples of the gods, what has been before his coming, for he has not invented any deity than what has been in existence before him and is Tompolo, not Aziza himself? Who has come to fulfil the words of the gods in Ijaw land as a vow to be accomplished?
Thunder, light, rain, rivers, estuaries, brooks and lakes move under the command of Nature in the divine order of time, open your ears, your eyes and your mind, for this message is the through essence of your purpose on earth, in love I made you be an instrument to open the pathway for the benefits of mankind, and it is a rare thing for humans to have an encounter with the gods in human form and generation will lack nothing, and their fears have been conquered. Aziza! The left hand with a white plate, a symbol of a full nation and riches, and the right hand a Mat; when you have done all that you have to do, in peace, you have built a shelter around your people so they could rest. Yes, Tompolo has built munificent temples of all ages for Ijaw traditional heritage and worship with extraordinary foresight.
Father Igologolo!
What is beyond you is beyond you; man is nothing before the gods, and when they come to speak to humans in a supernatural form, what the mere mundane man could see is doubt; the mysteries only unfold to the one with the garment of the gods is different from the mere mortal mind.
Tompolo is a deity, Eferekirikpon; he is the air from the breath of AZIZA, men who just gathered to drink, dance and eat, questioning their ignorance in a manner of innocence. I made men bow before you, to trust and love when they plan to kill you. I, your source, have fixed the years for you are unarmed; it has never happened to the gods over what they own and watches over. When your persecutors come after you, I shall always hide you under the waters, in the forest, and in the air to overcome all adversities.
All the believers gathered again with drums, and selected singers in their numbers took the day: for Tompolo had not said anything about this mysterious birthday party; not even Kariwei could know when He Eferekirikpon is set for his father’s work, Igologolo.
“When I wish to speak, I speak. I was not directed to speak yet,” Tompolo said.
AZIZA Deity is as old as mankind; in ancient days when man was not formed, the gods were with God when God gave them the assignment to watch over the earth and report back to Him– God, the affairs of man, men lose their consciousness in the pleasant affairs and forget about their purpose in the mundane existence. To correct this loss of man’s consciousness, the god AZIZA metamorphosed into a human form as a mystery with a special assignment in a period of 119 years to Tompolo. That is to say that in these years of AZIZA’s reign, Tompolo’s period on earth to return as a faithful representative is foregrounded. This is true in the realm of time in human existence.
Eferekirikpon
In the book of AZIZA Deity, the 119 years is not just for Tompolo alone but for all mankind, believers especially Aziza faithful, who are pure in spirit, passionate at heart and turn away from evil and wickedness will experience 119 years decreed by the gods.
Eferekirikpon! Igologolo!
The one that moves with the air, water and the land! It is actually a story whose sensibilities many will doubt as an untold mystery which came at the time AZIZA spoke to Tompolo himself in the human soul. He brought him, empowered him and manifested himself to be celebrated down the forest where the seeker-Father, Chief Osen Thomas Ekpemupolo, requested in the Kindness of AZIZA Deity, manifested in the highest realm in the history of man the bravest, the Lion, the king that made men kings. The lion who lives in both water and the earth, whom the Queen of all Queens BINI-EBI will love in all her powers in his earthly Sojourn.
The goddess loves the gods!
Who will not find this story funny as to how the gods requested to be celebrated in the forest? What is beyond you, and when the revelations are not made to Oweizide, our human theories could infer the premises that gods operate, their frequency is higher than man’s–for they are infallible.
In every mythology, when the gods make the manifestation with those who walk in their pathway, they become supernatural.
Yes, High Chief Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo, the father of High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, made a solemn vow in ancient times in search of a male child in his dynasty who was at that time a traditionalist, faithful to the laws of nature, serve the gods of his progenitors in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Okerenkoko community, yes many became fearful of Osen Ekpemupolo because of his belief in the supernatural, pour libations and set dining for the gods, a typical custodian of the Ijaw spirituality. Before the coming of the European Gospel of God, the Africans, the Ijaw of the Niger Delta region, already knew Woyin, Tamarau, Temewei and Egbesu, so dedicated that people called Osen a witch Doctor who solved people’s problems with prayers in his sacred temple. Those who believe him as Izon people hold faith in him for his morality and dedication to the gods of the land have made him naturally successful. But Chief Osen Ekpemupolo has a challenge: his wife has given birth to four beautiful girls without a male child, yes Ijaw cultural and spiritual values uphold firmly that it is the son of a man who bears the family name whenever he is no more. He possesses the heir heritage of his lineage, so the gods of the land had not failed his believers when they made sacred vows and cried unto them. The gods manifest their potent powers to humans at all times; it is so to Egbesu whatever positive thing you request, they come and make the manifestation either in human form or in the spiritual.
Yes, the deity he serves religiously prayed for people and made manifestations as people returned to his temple to say thank you to the gods for the fruit of the womb.
Yes, one day, Chief Osen, the Tonteriwei of the ancient Gbaramatu kingdom in Ijaw land, on a calm morning, left his house and his family deity and moved to the very calm forest where a deity in the Gbaramatu Kingdom where their forefathers prayed for blessings when they had pressing issues beyond their mortal understandings.
To seek answers for their needs for the gods of the land to bless them: drinks, snuff, and native chalks to speak to the great AZIZA deity, and in mental words, prayed and dropped the items from his praying hands and heart to seek for a male child and in return to come back to honour AZIZA for whom his heritage would be preserved for generations upon generations that AZIZA would forever be in the heart of man till the end of time.
Osen returned home to join his beautiful family, the league of female children the gods have blessed them beyond the eyes of Osen–so adorable! Sologha, his wife, later conceived a child, and she gave birth to a son. And the joy had no bounds! Thomas Ekpemupolo was so happy to name his son Oweizide meaning “I have given birth to a man.” In a thankful heart, he returns to thank the Aziza deity in the forest, Osen Ekpemupolo also gave an English name to his son as Government, –Government that will take care of my entire dynasty that has unbeatable powers and influence as a government with sovereign authority both lands, waters and air will obey his commands. Eferekirikpon beyond the understanding of man, AZIZA deity is Tompolo in human form to have come to correct the mundane errors of man in the pleasant earth created by God and the gods to watch over the affairs of man to obey the moral-spiritual laws of God. Such natural laws of God made human Flesh direct other humans by using supernatural beings in the form of a human beings to guide and save the affairs of a nation.
Yes, like the Jewish book of an Avatar Jesus, so Tompolo is the Avatar of AZIZA Deity; like the Greek mythology of Deus and Apollo gods, which the likes of Socrates manifested and after completing such assignment returned with many allegations but later humans discovered that they were supernatural beings that just came to give directives to a man on earth, so is Tompolo.
Many in their complex questions have asked who Tompolo is. Why did he have so much power and influence over the affairs of the gods of the land? Why did he know much about the gods and goddesses of Ijaw land? His humility and, his actions, his powers are only traceable to the Supernatural Aziza deity himself– for he is a god who moves with the air. What you plan, he sees; what you speak, he hears as he moves in both the air and waters. Eferekirikpon! Igologolo, the man that sees when he will Go back to his father, Igologolo. Zibaooooo! Ziba came and lit up all the sanctuaries for the gods.
Part 11
Why Tompolo Celebrated The Birth Of A Deity In The Forest Of Old In Gbaramatu Kingdom?
Have you ever seen someone who makes cakes and celebrates the birthday of a Deity in a forest?
It sounds absurd, and it looks funny, but it is a divine instruction revealed to Tompolo from the cradle of his existence.
Over the years, Tompolo Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo has never celebrated his birthday in any form since he was born on this Earth, but as he grows up with amazing contributions to the affairs of mankind, a philanthropist, a freedom fighter, a builder of a nation, a conqueror, a great hope to both the living and the death, many called him the living legend, the Lion of all lions, the gods in human form and Enaibo called him the “gods begotten son” the man with three eyes who have yes for his YES and no for his NO. His love for transforming the Niger Delta region made him the hero we all called him. So every 12th of April, the Ijaws, the Niger Delta region, Nigeria and Africans celebrate him, and GbaramatuVoice has epitomized April 12th as the World Tompolo’s Day of Peace. People in all spheres of life celebrate him with cakes and different gifts but the celebrant in absentia.
“Only once have I cut a birthday cake at Oporoza that Mr Matthew Tonlagha organized after coming out of the many persecutions by both the Federal Government and individuals for about six years (2015- 2020), yes all the Agadagbas gathered as custodians of the pristine tradition, so I appeared once as human flesh with many pressures, and the flesh must abide by it in some occasions.”
Yes, he never appeared and jubilated like others because the gods’ ways are different from the ways of mere mortals.
So, this year Aziza, Eferekirikpon! Father Igologolo appeared before his son Tompolo with a question in a dream: “Who are you to celebrate yourself when I have not celebrated you?” Tompolo woke up from the dream and slept again three consecutive times. Tompolo said, “Father Igologolo! I know you by your voice, I know I have not celebrated myself for anything on Earth, for your will shall be done, not mine. Humanity has celebrated me on different occasions. I can’t stop them from celebrating you, the Father.” AZIZA was silent for his mortal being and said, “I have come to celebrate you like others, for you have done well, it is 119 years, and as a faithful servant, you shall be on Earth to do the work of what I have sent you. In the forest where your father took the vows before you came, that is the venue where humanity shall join you in cutting the cake they have severally cut for you. A symbolic gesture to mark your existence that I am glad for you.”
So, Tompolo woke up from the dream in three days without the knowledge of his followers; polo shirts were printed, two beautiful cakes were presented at Aziza deity at both front and back, money was sprayed as the realm of celebration of AZIZA, Eferekirikpon! Father Igologolo, so the dance and singing took the day of 5th June 2023 in the forest of old Gbaramatu Kingdom to compliment the vows of Osen as Tompolo will be in this on Earth for 119 years.
In the thick forest of celebration, Samuel Ekpemupolo telepathically infused my soul to write this story after his Dialogue with Tompolo in the forest, and Aziza banged at my creative pen with inspirations from above and so below, so I write to preserve this history for the living Deity on Earth, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo.
Happy birthday to Eferekirikpon! Father Igologolo Aziza deity and High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo.
Asiayei Enaibo, the Talking Drum, is the SA to the High priest of the Ijaw Deities and Culture. He writes from the GbaramatuVoice media organisation
Feature/OPED
Stocks vs Forex: Which is Better for Beginners in 2026?
By Onah Ishioma Adaeze
As a beginner, choosing between stocks and forex for your investment goals in 2026 can feel overwhelming. Before investing your hard-earned money, it is important to understand how both markets work.
While both markets present investors with opportunities to grow their wealth, they also differ in terms of volatility, liquidity, market hours, and leverage. Stocks involve owning portions of a company, while forex has to do with trading a base currency against a quote currency.
In this article, we will be going through the basics of stocks and forex, pointing out their differences, and helping you decide which asset better suits your investment journey in 2026.
What is Stock Trading?
When it comes to stock trading, you are buying shares of a company, which makes you a shareholder of that company. As a shareholder, you may be entitled to receive dividends whenever the company decides to pay dividends.
As for those companies that do not pay dividends, there are other benefits a shareholder may enjoy, like being called upon to attend shareholder meetings and having voting rights on certain company matters.
On a global scale, over $100 trillion worth of shares are traded annually. Also, the rising popularity of AI companies and technological innovations continues to drive investor participation and market growth.
If you’re an investor looking to buy and hold capital assets, then stock trading is definitely for you, as it allows for short-term, medium-term and long-term investment goals.
When you buy shares of a company and the company performs well, your shares increase in value. Another benefit of stock trading is access to index funds and ETFs.
These funds consist of companies that are grouped under an index. They are carefully selected and monitored under the fund, sparing the investor the stress of actively tracking the fund.
They can be a way of building a long-term, diversified portfolio, and some of these funds may pay dividends.
What is Forex Trading?
Forex trading has to do with buying one currency and selling another. With a pair like USD/JPY, USD is the base currency being bought against JPY, which is the quote currency.
In order to execute a trade in the forex market, you have to analyse and make predictions based on price movement, as well as pay attention to what’s going on in the global news scene.
The forex market runs twenty-four hours every weekday, with over $9 trillion traded in the market every day. Being the largest financial market in the world, there is very high liquidity.
Forex trading involves buying one currency against another, making predictions based on price movements on the forex charts. Price moves based on the activities of large institutions like hedge funds, big banks, the government, etc.
The forex market runs 24 hours a day, every weekday, with global forex turnover reaching $9 trillion per day in the BIS 2025 survey. Being the largest financial market in the world, there is very high volatility and price fluctuations.
At the same time, there is high liquidity in the market, which means that currency pairs can easily be bought and sold without hassle. Highly liquid instruments that are traded regularly include: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and gold (XAU/USD).
As a retail trader, knowing when to enter and exit the market is important. As easy as it is to make profits from price fluctuations, it is also very easy to lose money if the market moves against you. This is why it is important to set stop losses and take profits. This helps manage your trading capital.
Major Differences Between Stocks and Forex
While investing in stocks and forex can yield great capital gains, there are lots of ways in which they differ.
As a beginner, stock trading provides opportunities for long-term investments, ensuring slow but consistent returns for wealth building. But if you are looking for an active, short-term style of investment, then forex trading is for you, as it allows you to enter and exit the market within a shorter time frame.
Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing an asset to invest in all boils down to personal preference. At the same time, if you are not averse to risk, nor opposed to asset diversification, then it’s okay to invest in both.
For beginner investors in 2026, stock trading is easier to understand and get into, especially because of mutual funds, index funds and ETFs. With those funds, you don’t have to be an expert to start investing. You can just buy a fund that suits your needs and hold it over a long period of time.
If you are an investor who enjoys technical analysis, highly volatile and liquid markets, as well as trading under short time frames, then forex trading is the right pick for you.
Conclusion
You do not need to put all your eggs in one basket. There are investors who invest in both stocks and forex simultaneously. When starting out, you can start investing in stocks while learning forex. Take calculated risks and do not invest above your means. Diversify your investments and remember, when starting out, you should prioritise acquiring knowledge over profits.
Onah Ishioma Adaeze is a finance writer who is passionate about simplifying complex concepts into easily digestible pieces. Her hobbies are reading and watching anime
Feature/OPED
Building 234 Solutions: A Response to Everyday Workforce Challenges
By Owoloye Emmanuel
Every business starts with a problem. For us, that problem was hiding in plain sight.
Across organisations, we kept seeing HR professionals, payroll teams, and business leaders spend significant time navigating processes that should be simpler. Employee records sat across multiple systems, payroll processes required manual intervention, and routine workforce tasks often became more complicated than they needed to be.
As businesses grow, workforce operations naturally become more complex. Yet many organisations still rely on disconnected tools and workflows that create unnecessary friction for both employers and employees.
The consequence is more than operational inefficiency. HR teams spend valuable time managing systems instead of supporting people. Business leaders struggle to access timely workforce insights, while employees experience delays in processes that should be seamless.
These weren’t isolated challenges. They were recurring realities across workplaces, regardless of industry or size.
That observation led us to a simple question: what if workforce management could be easier?
What if HR, payroll, and workforce operations could work together within a single, connected experience?
That question became the foundation for 234 Solutions.
We are building 234 Solutions with a clear belief that workplace technology should reduce complexity, not add to it. Our goal is to help organisations spend less time navigating processes and more time focusing on productivity, growth, and people.
As we prepare for launch, our focus remains simple: building practical solutions for real workplace challenges and helping organisations create better experiences for the people who power them every day.
Owoloye Emmanuel is the founder of 234 Solutions
Feature/OPED
The Role of TV in Preserving African Stories and Identity
Scroll through social media today, and you will notice something interesting: everyone is either reacting to a series, quoting a movie line, or debating a character as though they personally know them. Beneath the memes and binge-watch culture, however, lies something deeper. Television remains one of the most powerful tools shaping how Africans see themselves, remember their history, and tell their own stories. In a continent as diverse and expressive as Africa, that matters more than ever.
TV as a Cultural Archive, Not Just Entertainment
Long before streaming algorithms began shaping our viewing habits, television was already preserving African identity. From Nollywood dramas that capture the rhythm of everyday Lagos life to documentaries exploring Maasai traditions and Ghanaian folklore, TV has served as a living archive of the continent’s stories.
It preserves more than entertainment; it preserves language, culture, humour, values, and shared experiences. Unlike fleeting social media content, television allows stories to unfold with depth, exploring the realities of family, tradition, ambition, and modern African life without reducing them to stereotypes. That is the power of TV: preserving not just stories, but perspective.
Why Representation on TV Still Matters
There is a subtle but important truth: if people do not see themselves on screen, they may begin to believe their stories are not worth telling. This is why African TV content is more than entertainment; it is affirmation.
Seeing a character who speaks like you, struggles like you, or celebrates like your community does something powerful. It validates identity and challenges outdated narratives that have historically defined Africa through external lenses.
This is where MultiChoice Group, through platforms such as DStv and GOtv, plays an important role. They do not simply broadcast content; they help distribute cultural memory at scale.
GOtv, DStv, and the Everyday African Viewer
Think about a typical evening in many African homes: the TV is on in the background, someone is laughing at a comedy show, another person is watching a local series, and someone else is catching up on the news. That shared viewing experience remains very real.
Through platforms such as DStv and GOtv, African households are exposed to a blend of local storytelling and global content. More importantly, they have helped amplify African-produced content by bringing Nollywood films, African reality shows, talk shows, and documentaries into mainstream rotation.
It is not just about access. It is about visibility.
A young filmmaker in Lagos today is more likely to believe their story matters because they have seen similar stories broadcast widely. A child in Accra grows up hearing familiar accents and seeing environments that look like their own on screen, not as exceptions, but as the norm.
TV Is Also Shaping Modern African Identity
African identity is not static; it is evolving. Television reflects that evolution in real time.
Today, audiences see:
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Young Africans balancing tradition and modern dating culture
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Stories tackling mental health in African households
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Fashion and music influences spreading through TV series
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Political satire shaping public conversation
Conversations that were once confined to homes are now being explored on screen, giving audiences the language to discuss issues that were previously unspoken.
In many ways, television is doing what oral tradition has always done: passing stories, values, humour, warnings, and history from one generation to the next. The difference is that today’s griots are writers, directors, and broadcasters.
The Future: From Watching to Owning Our Narratives
The next stage of African storytelling is not just about being seen; it is about ownership.
As more African creators produce content and platforms continue to invest in regional storytelling, television becomes more than a mirror. It becomes a tool for shaping how Africa is represented to itself and to the world.
While streaming continues to grow, television, particularly accessible platforms such as GOtv, remains one of the most effective ways to reach everyday audiences across different income levels and regions. After all, storytelling only matters if people can access it.
African stories are not new. They have always existed in families, on streets, in markets, in history books, and through oral traditions. What television has done, and continues to do, is give those stories a stage wide enough for millions to experience them at once.
The next time you watch a local series or documentary on DStv or GOtv, remember that you are not just being entertained. You are participating in the preservation of African identity itself.
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