By IN the deep creeks of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, far beyond the reach of city streets and skyscrapers, the ancient town of Oporoza has once again transformed into a throbbing epicentre of spiritual renewal, cultural splendour, and sacred festivity. The 2025 Amaseikumor Festival, revered by the Ijaw people as the Festival of Peace, Justice and Wealth, has drawn pilgrims, traditionalists, and tourists from across Nigeria and beyond to witness a celebration that blurs the line between the temporal and the divine.
A procession
For seven days, Oporoza — the ancestral headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West — became a “Mecca” of sorts, its waters teeming with boats and its lands blooming with colour and life. From Miller Waterside, free speedboats ferried thousands to the island town, where caterers dotted every corner, feeding visitors without prejudice. At the heart of the festivities is Amaseikumor, the ancient goddess of prosperity, longevity, fertility, and love — her spirit said to rise from the ocean and preside over the joyous rites.
Amaseikumor masquerade
A Carnival of the Spirit
“This is more than a festival,” declared High Chief (Hon.) McDonald Igbadiwei, traditional spokesman of the Gbaramatu people. “It is sacred, yes — but not secret. There are no human sacrifices here. Only cows, rams, food and drink offered in appeasement of the gods. Amaseikumor is holy, but also a celebration of life, love, and continuity.”
Priestess
The air in Oporoza was charged with a pulsating rhythm — drummers, dancers, masquerades, and processions converged under beautifully adorned canopies stretched across the Egbesu shrine and the old palace grounds. Journalists from across the country, including international media houses like CNN, were granted full access to cover the spectacle. Yet, with that access came a few sacred caveats.
The Oporoza Arena
“Female journalists must not approach the temple during their flow. For male journalists, if you were intimate with a woman last night, you cannot enter the temple with your camera unless cleansed,” Igbadiwei warned. “This is not punishment, but reverence.”
The Priestesses of Gbaramatu: Sacred Vessels of the River
The spiritual electricity only intensified with the majestic appearance of the priestesses of Gbaramatu. Adorned in regalia that mirrored the tides and the moon, they moved through the festival like oracles of the divine. Every gesture was a revelation; every chant a prayer passed down from river to river, mouth to mouth.
Priestess
They are not mere custodians of tradition — they are living vessels of ancestral power, calling forth the spirits of water, earth, and blood. In them, Gbaramatu’s present is forever rooted in its spiritual depth.
More Than Festivity: A Festival That Heals
In a remarkable expansion of its offerings, the 2025 Amaseikumor Festival also introduced a comprehensive free medical outreach, led by Engr. Kestin Pondi, MD of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL), and supported by the Esther Matthew Tonlagha Foundation and the Mom and Infant Care Network.
The medical outreach
More than 150 eye surgeries were conducted on patients suffering from cataracts and pterygium. Tooth extractions, dental care, and treatment for hypertension, malaria, diabetes, and other conditions brought life-altering relief to hundreds. For Mrs Stella Christopher from Burutu and Mrs Esther Cousin from Kokodiagbene, who had suffered vision loss for over a decade, this was not just medicine — it was a miracle.
A patient operated on
“We couldn’t afford surgery for years. But now we can see again,” they wept in gratitude, thanking Tompolo and the festival committee for restoring their sight.
His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II: A Legacy Crowned in Wisdom
At the heart of this sacred celebration stood His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom — a monarch whose presence commands reverence, and whose leadership sustains a people. He was surrounded in filial solidarity by other monarchs across the Ijaw nation.
His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom
More than a ruler, he is a custodian of the Ijaw spirit, a symbolic bridge between past and future. With calm authority and ancestral grace, he leads a kingdom where culture is not performed but lived. In a world where traditions often fade, the Pere of Gbaramatu remains an enduring flame — a king not just of a land, but of a legacy.
And at Amaseikumor 2025, he stood resplendent — clothed in culture, crowned by history, and surrounded by the sacred. When he led his fellow traditional rulers in the revered Gbaraun Egbesu ceremony, the very earth of Oporoza seemed to listen. It was a moment where royalty walked with the ancestors.
His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom
Ritual, Rain, and Radiance
Each masquerade procession during the week was more than performance — it was a ritual. High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, known widely as Tompolo, emerged in full regalia to honour the sea goddess in dance, showcasing the legendary Ijaw “leg work” that evokes thunder and sea spray alike.
For the Ijaw, Amaseikumor is not merely a deity, but a living force. She is the rain of radiance, a divine rhythm of prosperity that cleanses and replenishes, planting purity and uprooting impurity. To the faithful, April’s downpour is more than meteorological — it is metaphysical.
A procession
“At the roots of Amaseikumor lies the rain of radiance,” a local elder poetically recited. “She rains happiness, fertilises hope, and blesses believers with health, love, and wealth — if their hearts are pure.”
From Creek to Carnival: A Culture in Bloom
The transformation of the Amaseikumor Festival from a secluded traditional rite into an international cultural event has been a deliberate move by its custodians. They are adamant that the Ijaw identity, often marginalised in national narratives, deserves global recognition — not for pity, but for pride.
Carnival procession
The town itself gleamed anew — houses freshly painted, shrines adorned with vibrant wrappers, and musicians setting the town ablaze with melody. On the final night, the king of South-South highlife, Chief Barrister Smooth, serenaded the crowd, bringing the week-long feast to a jubilant close.
Davido’s Grand Entrance: Where Afrobeats Meets Ancestry
And just as the spiritual soared, the skies over Oporoza shook once more — not with thunder, but with applause.
Davido entering Oporoza
Davido, the global icon of Afrobeats, made a grand entrance into Gbaramatu Kingdom that sent waves through the creeks and jolts through the crowd. Clad in black hoodies and appearing somewhat aquaphobic, he showed reverence for the culture that welcomed him. His appearance was more than stardom — it was solidarity.
Davido on board a yatch
The fusion of his fame with the festivity of the Ijaw created an unforgettable moment. Where global rhythm met ancestral resonance, history was made.
Davido entering Oporoza
A Sacred Prayer for Unity: High Chief Dennis Otuaro’s Moment of Devotion
At a pivotal moment of the festival, High Chief Dennis Otuaro, PhD, Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, approached the Gbaraun Egbesu shrine — a sacred locus where generations have knelt in prayer and prophecy.
Dennis Otuaro
Before the gathered ancestors, and under the full attention of the present, he invoked a solemn prayer for peace and unity in the Niger Delta. His voice, steady yet humble, sought divine guidance for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and lasting stability for a region so often at a crossroads.
PAP boss, Dennis Otuaro paying obeisances to his ancestors
In that moment, his prayer was not political. It was spiritual. It was the cry of a son of the soil calling upon the ancient to bless the future.
Ijaw youths paying obeisances to the gods
A Return to the Roots
Beyond the drums and dancing, Amaseikumor is a call to remember — to return to roots, to honour ancestors, to reconnect with nature and the divine. It is a festival that insists that spirituality need not be silent, and that sacredness can coexist with joy.
A family of generations paying obeisances
It is a covenant kept through generations, a bond of blessings sealed in the salty air and swirling waters of Oporoza. And each year, the rain returns.
A blend of the surreal …
Not just the rain that wets the earth — but the rain that fertilises the soul.
Ebenezer Adurokiya writes from Warri, Delta State
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