warri

The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial capital of Delta State with a population of over 311,970 people in 2006. The city is the indigenous territory of Urhobo, itsekiri and Ijaw people.

Warri shares boundaries with Uvwie to the east, Udu to the south east, Ogbe-ijoh to the south, and other communities in Warri South LGA to the west. Due to its rapid population growth and linked roads, the city and its border towns eg Uvwie, Udu merged into a conurbation collectively referred as “Warri”

Warri sits on the bank of Warri River which joined Forcados River and Escravos River through Jones Creek in the lower Niger Delta Region. The city has a modern seaport which serves as the cargo transit point between the Niger River and the Atlantic Ocean for import and export.

Warri served as the capital of the colonial Warri Province during the early 1900s when this part of Delta State was under the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.

Warri City is native to four monarchs, namely;

• The Ovie of Agbarha-Ame ( Urhobo)

• The Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo ( Urhobo)

•The Olu of Iwerre ( itsekiri)

• The Pere of Ogbe-ijaw ( Ijaw)

History

Etymology

The name ‘WARRI’ was first associated with the Itsekiri ancestral town of Ode Itsekiri which the locals also refer to as ‘Iwerre’. A mispronunciation of Iwerre by several European explorers probably resulted in various names like AWERRI, OUWERI, WARRE, WARREE, etc. The British eventually anglancised it as WARRI

By contrast, Ode-Itsekiri, is an island community several kilometers away from Warri metropolis. It is informative to note here that, Ode-Itsekiri, is the “ Warri” of the Itsekiri that is often erroneously referred to as “ Big Warri” This is the Warri or Iwere referred to in history books as the Capital City of the Itsekiri

The Ogbe-Ijoh Ijaw people also claim that Warri is a European mispronounciation of “Wari” the Ijaw word for House(s) or Settlement

British Advent pre Warri City

British colonialism effectively took off in the Western Niger Delta with the proclamation of the Oil Coast Protectorate by Great Britain in June 1885. British colonial administration was carried out through local chiefs like Nana Olomu of Ebrohimi in Benin River. This administration was effectively restricted to Benin River and its environs as the British were content with conducting trade with the people of the hinterlands through the Itsekiri as middlemen

Eventually the scramble for Africa by various European powers intensified leading to the conveyance of the Berlin Conference of 1885 where Africa was partitioned. In order to lay a claim to a particular African region, it needed to be shown that there is ‘effective occupation’ by the concerned European power and one of the ways of showing this was by signing treaties of protection with the various tribes. Great Britain signed such treaties with the Itsekiris as a tribe and several with the various Urhobo villages. The treaties acknowledged the ownership of the lands which the various tribes occupied and on which the British met them offering them protection in exchange for acknowledging the suzerainty and protection of Great Britain

The British treaty with the Itsekiri was signed in 1884 and (resigned in 1894 after the fall of Nana Olomu) acknowledged the Itsekiri territories to be Ode Itsekiri, Benin River and the people and country of both banks of the Escravos River. In contrast, the British signed treaties with various Urhobo villages in the territory which now constitute most parts Warri Township (''Warri City'') and Uvwie as follows;

In order to have effective occupation of their territories, the British decided to penetrate the hinterlands and by an order-in-council of 1893, the Oil Rivers Protection was extended into the hinterlands and renamed Niger Coast Protectorate. With the extension into the hinterlands, the British appointed ‘Political Agents’ to help in contacting people of the hinterlands. In 1895, Dore Numa an Itsekiri and George Eyube, an Urhobo were appointed Political Agents. Dore was appointed for Sapele District (''named after the city of Sapele'') covering much of the Itsekiri Country and some parts of Urhobo lands whilst George Eyube was appointed for Warri District (''named after the ancient city of Warri ;- Ode-Itsekiri'') covering much of the Urhobo Country. Unfortunately, George Eyube died in 1901 by an accidental discharge from his own gun and Dore Numa’s authority was extended to cover Warri District. By this appointment Dore became the Paramount Chief of both districts with all appointed warrant chiefs under him. Part of Dore’s authority included granting of leases to the colonial administration on behalf of the Natives for public purposes

Creation of Warri City

The British decided to move the seat of the administration of the Niger Coast Protectorate from Ode-Itsekiri (Warri or Iwerre) to the uplands to have effective control of the hinterlands. In order to achieve this, the British in 1906 took a lease of a new trading station opened in 1898 on virgin lands for Alexander Miller Brothers Limited of Liverpool at the mouth of the Okere Creeks. This new trading station was also named WARRI after Ode-Itsekiri so the Itsekiris dubbed Ode-Itsekiri BIG WARRI in order to differentiate Ode-Itsekiri from the new trading station

The lease of the new trading station which measured 360 acres was signed by Dore and one other Itsekiri, Chief Ogbe Yowuren for £100 per annum for 99 years starting from 30 July 1906 even though they or the Itsekiri did not own the land, two years later in 1908, the colonial administration took an additional 90 acres lease covering Ogbe-Ijoh at £60 per annum for 99 years starting from 18th July 1908. The lease was also signed for by Dore Numa and his lackey, Ogbe Yowuren, even though the land was occupied by the Ijaws who were consequently resettled from present Warri city to their present location of Ogbe-Ijoh in present Warri South West LGA near Aladja in present Udu LGA. Furthermore in 1911, a further lease of 350 acres extending into Agbassa village was made at £30 per annum for 99 years starting from 25 February 1911. The lease was also signed for by Dore Numa and Ogbe Yowuren without the consent of the Agbassa people who are not Itsekiri but Urhobo. These three leases are known as B2, B5 and B7 which constituted the new Warri township as of then which expanded into neighboring Urhobo settlements of Igbudu, Ogunu, Edjeba, Okorode (''Ekurede-Urhobo''), Uduvwun-Urhobo (''Udumu-Usobo'') & to neighboring Itsekiri settlements of Ugbuwangue, Ugbori, Ekurede (''Ekurede-Itsekiri'') & Okere (''Okere-Itsekiri'') i.e the aforementioned communities are a conglomerate that makes up the present Warri city, the capital of Warri South LGA

Demographic

Its inhabitants are predominantly Christians of different denominations, and some practice a mixture of African traditional religions like most of Southern Nigeria. The city is known nationwide for its unique Pidgin.

Climate

The region experiences moderate rainfall and moderate humidity for the most part of the year. The cl imate is monsoonal and is marked by two distinct seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season lasts from about November to April and is significantly marked by the cool "harmattan" dusty haze from the north-east winds. The rainy season spans May to October with a brief dy spell in August, but it frequently rains even in the dry season. The area is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate with a mean annual temperature of and an annual rainfall amount of . There are high temperatures of and . The surrounding region is predominantly rainforest, tending to swamplands in some areas. The vegetation is rich in timber trees, palm trees, as well as fruit trees.

Economy and infrastructure

There is the Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals located at Ekpan, Uvwie with the majority of international and local oil companies operating in Nigeria having their operational offices close by.
One of the nation's major seaports is sited within Ugbuwangue, Warri.

Due to conflict in the late 90s, especially in 1999, most oil companies fled the town and nearby regions.

Security

Warri is garrisoned by the Amphibious Infantry battalion ( Effurun Army Base) located in Effurun, a twin city to Warri and is administratively under the Brigade HQ in Port Harcourt.

The Nigerian Navy operates from its facilities in Warri.

The 61 Nigerian Air force Detachment also operates from its facilities in Jeddo, close to Warri.

Sports

Warri has an international stadium with a capacity of 30,000 which is the home of Warri Wolves football club, which has hosted two editions of the African Women Football Championship in 2002 and 2006 respectively and was in contention as one of the venues to be used for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009. The stadium was used to host the African Youth Athletics Championship (AYAC) in 2013.

Warri Wolves, a professional football team based in Warri plays in the Nigeria National League. Their prominent former players include Best Ogedegbe, Wilson Oruma, Efe Ambrose, Victor Ikpeba and Ekigho Ehiosun.

Manufacturing and raw materials

The economic base of the city lies in the presence of a refinery and other oil and gas companies.
Also, there is the steel company, Delta Steel Company, which is located in Ovwian– Aladja area of Udu. The Beta Glass Plant is located nearby, outside the town of Ughelli, where the land is rich in silica and silicates, raw materials required for the manufacture of glass, ceramics and cement.
The Transcorp Power Distribution, one of Nigeria's power generating stations, is also located at Ughelli, which is just 15 minutes away by car.

Transport

Rail

In 1991, construction started on a standard gauge railway from the steel mills at Ajaokuta to the port of Warri, about 275 km away. By 2006, the standard gauge lines had reached 329 km in length, but the final 27 km Warri section is still incomplete. In 2010, work recommenced to complete that final section to Warri. The rail line was officially inaugurated in September 2020.

Road

Major road networks within Warri Metropolis has been improved upon by the state government to improve the image of the city. Transportation within the city is mainly by bus and tricycle. The federal government has completed the Warri-Benin Road road expansion project and major parts of the East-West Road Project which will connect Warri- Uyo.

Air

There are several helipads in oil company yards, like Shell yard Ogunu and in Escavos and Focados.

Sea

Movement of goods by sea is through the Nigerian Ports Authority (Delta Ports) at which is mainly for export and import of goods by major companies. Also located on the main Warri riverside are markets and jetties used by local traders, which act as a transit point for local transport and trade. There are local boats that are used for moving from one location to another.

Educational institutions

Primary schools

Primary schools in Warri are:
* Nana Primary School, Warri
* Mowoe Primary School, Warri
* Ojojo Primary School, Warri
* Ogiame Primary School, Warri
* Ikengbuwa Primary School, Warri
* Cavagina Primary School, Warri
* Twin Fountain Group of Schools
* HillTop
* International Unity School (IUS)
* NNPC Staff Primary School
* SNAPS
* Alderstown School for the Deaf
* Kids Compute Academy
* Edjeba Estate School, Edjeba, Warri
* Lakeland School, Ogunu, Warri

Secondary schools

Secondary schools are also in numbers in the city of Warri. These include:
* Yonwuren College, Warri
* College of Education Demonstration Secondary School, Warri
* Twin Fountain Group of Schools
* Cambridge International School
* Federal Government College, Okorode-Urhobo, Warri
* Hussey College, Warri
* Nana College, Warri
* Dom Domingos College, Warri
* Delta Secondary School, Warri
* Dore Numa College, Warri
* Essi College, Warri
* Uwangue College, Warri
* Classical International School, Warri
* College of Commerce, Warri
* Eagles Height School, Ajamhimogha, Warri
* Ubeji Grammar School, Ubeji

Higher institutions

There are various tertiary institutions within and outside the city, the following are the institutions situated in the city of Warri
*College of Education at Edjeba, Warri
*The Delta State Nursing School, Ogunu, Warri
*Eagle Heights University, Omadino, Warri

Tourism

There are various tourist sites to visit while in Warri:

* Red Mangrove swamp
* Falcorp Mangrove Park / Mini Zoo, Ijala, Behind Warri Refinery.
* Warri Township Stadium
* Shell club, Ogunu
* Warri Port, Ugbuwangue, Warri

Religion

Notable people

Notable Nigerian ministers from Warri include Ayo Oritsejafor and Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin.
* Charity Ogbenyealu Adule, footballer
* Nedum Onuoha, footballer
* Demas Akpore (1928–1993), first elected Deputy Governor of Bendel State (1979–1983)
* Erigga, musician
*Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, former CAN President

See also

* Abraka
* Asaba, Delta
* Agbassa
* Delta State
* Effurun
* Eku, Delta
* Ughelli
* Railway stations in Nigeria

References

* http://ngr.ng/understanding-the-warri-itsekiri-name-pattern/

{{Authority control

Local Government Areas in Delta State
Port cities and towns in Nigeria
Cities in Delta State
Cities in Nigeria