Hardly anything of significance is known about the life and personality of Okabou, who gave us his version of the Ijo story in The Ozidi Saga. In a sense, this is not so surprising when we think of legendary narrators like Homer in the ancient Greek world. Until folklore achieved recognition as an organized discipline, folk artists like Okabou were usually seen by the general public as interesting but incidental figures. I myself faintly recall itinerant oral artists like Ogbakwu who narrated and sang their way across the world of my youth in Asaba, though I can hardly recall any of the tales they told and can only fleetingly capture the airs of their tunes. Indeed, very few people I grew up with remember any more than I do.

J. P. Clark-Bekederemo, who has done the world tremendous service in putting on record Okabou's monumental tale, has not himself kept dependable memory of the man he had the good luck of capturing in a nonce event in 1963. In my contacts with him over this project, I once tried to see what personal details I could get about Okabou, perhaps even a photograph of him I might use for this book. Clark-Bekederemo said the Nigerian civil war (1967-70) had taken a toll of his holdings. He might have photographs of the other two narrators he had recorded (Afoluwa and Erivini), “but as for the star himself, I am still searching.