I hail thee my own dear native
land, at the heartland of Yakor nation,
Ototobiloto, the true vine and progenitor
of Yakorr-Ibe, without which Kekor is but only a part.
Mkpani Ototoliloto, Eful obor libang
the ancient habitation of proud, indomitable
Warriors in ancestral Yakor forests
Idem-ofo, whose crudely armed
foot soldiers joining Edem Omiriakpa and in
concert roll-spinned the rock
crushing enmasse ferocious Akpa
at Idomi hill.
Shrewed Ekpe Porwa porwa, in the
midst of wolves in sheep fur
assigned to walk upon and plunder
The pleasant pastures and mountains of thine heritage
Mkpani Ototoliloto, of whom my grandfather
use to always sonorously chant:
Mkpani Ototobiloto
Orkpe keti orpoi
Eful obor Libang
Kordorng ben Koryai
Kural kosi ligai
Ototobiloto my Mkpani,
Lopon Jor kupo tamatam
Ototobiloto wor osen oryi keti
Awoibe ke kebe, apeyorbe
Lortumapon jor Ibunukpabi
Okpornorke Orkpitong
Mkpani Idemofo, the very land of my birth
Where I am obligated to live and serve,
as my forebears of old.
Mkpani Ototobiloto never fretting,
ever there, never shifting and ever resilient;
the pride of my heritage and comfort
womb that bore great Okurubong
kukpatu and Egei, those
triplets though diametrically marked
but knithed by common descent.
Mkpani Ototobiloto land of onr gallant
heroes, our commonwealth and homeland
In pen and swords like our
heroes past we must vow to defend
our land and lives like ruddy
David and brilliant Samson, did,
else we all shall perish.
Our boundary lines a must protect
every inch, from all comfort cruelty
and profanation,
only holding death the dear price
to pay,
We hail thee Mkpani Ototobiloto
Our consecrated kingdom by the
eternal father, God of all Creation,
Ototobiloto kuka kosi ligai, home of my birth
never saying die to cuts inflicted
On and piercing our bleeding heroes.
Ototobiloto, the resilient tiny
Yiyangha (willow) staff,
Despised but not rejectd,
Deprived but not wretched
Blackmailed yet always vindicated
Chastised yet not weakened,
Carbided, but not rusting and rottening
Oh! My beloved fatherland,
to which our solemn oath to
defend is an irrevocable dedication we hold dear,
and the shedding of our blood
for thee, cannot be recorded as
the total sum but a committed
obligation emboldening us to freedom.
Even when our bodies are charred
and echoes of the mindless butchering
of our compatriots, hit our ear drums,
We shall remember all those
Who paid the ultimate price at
Ekpasai, Epati and Eponghor when
your liberty and inalienable right to existence
was primitively threatened,
Their wounds can only
be healed by the God of
Love and King of Peace.
To Him alone is the prerogative
to cause wars and hatred to cease;
and only then we shall emerge
from long clash of arms and
all that terror teaches,
to embrace with trumpets in
triumphant peal of thunderous yet
velvetonic battle-cries of
Brotherhood and glorious victory
over might and wrong.
Oh! God, who created and
made us one indivisible
and blessed kingdom,
guide all our footsteps as
worthy sons and daughters of
a great, blessed land, else
we Peter out
Grant us Eternal father,
great favours to render honest
account of our stewardship,
heeding only humanist call
to pursue peace with all men
and climes.
Bless our Leaders O Lord our
God, in wisdom and resoluteness
like our ancestors of old, to
align with all things of
good report.
Let their decisions make our
kingdom a noble place to abode
where divine counsel polishes their
actions and your glory ever dwells.
Be thou oh God our beacon
as we in meekness thread
the valleys of jealousy, hate and greed
to reach the peak of faith
hope and love joining hand in hand
agreeing to build proud towers and castles
where no envious tongues shall
divide and blind-eyes confound.
Authored by:
OKOI UTUM INA (SNR)
CRS College of Education,
Akamkpa.
07065444086
September, 2018
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