FROM EVWRENI WITH A MISSION:  A TRIBUTE TO A HUMBLE LEADER @60

He’s simply known as O’tega,
We know he’s not a tiger,
But in Delta politics he’s a lion,
Tough as an iron,
But meek as a lamb
Though he’s not the cub.

We call him the Leader,
But he sees not himself atop the ladder,
Rather, he’s wont to be a team player.
We place our hope from whence cometh the messiah,
Lo, behold him, make way, make way.
Says the town crier.

Hither cometh the Leader,
He soldiers not alone,
But with an army of lions in the mission.
A metaphor for his vision,
With commitment to completion,
This journey of liberation.

Oh, how we long for that day to come,
The day we shall most welcome,
Freedom from economic wastage,
Freedom from political bondage,
So that Deltans may have hope again,
And there will be no more pain.

No condition in the jungle will drive the lion to feed on grass,
That the lion is king with a kingdom is not a farce.
The lion king protects his pride and the kingdom.                                                    The lion pride is the most tactical army of hunters in the swath of Africa savanna.
The lion cannot be afraid of the hyena that has held sway since 1999 under the sky,
The lion knows when to strike the ungulate and time is nigh.

You may choose to call him Olorogun,
Or if you may, Urukpe,
Or simply O’tega Emerhor (OON).
Husband of delectable and elegant and beautiful Rita Emerhor,
Father and grandfather,
Business mogul,
Community builder,
And you’re right.

But to which we add as follows:
The commander, the visionaire, the Leader and the Lion of Delta politics.
Happy 60th birthday anniversary.

By Chief Terry Johnson Otuya