Nobody Can Be Deceived About The Landmark Called Warri

Warri is a landmark name for Warri South, Uvwie, Okpe, Udu, Ughelli South, Ethiope East, Ughelli North, Warri South West, Burutu, and Bomadi LGAs.

The Olu of Warri was known as Olu of Itsekiri until Obafemi Awolowo imposed the Olu of Warri title maliciously as Olu of Warri on the real natives of Warri urban in 1952 when he was Premier of Western Region.

Itsekiri people are not natives of Warri Urban. Warri urban is Agbarha-Ame, Edjeba, Ogunu, Igbudu, Okurode-Urhobo, Okere-Urhobo, Okumagba Layout, Agaga Layout, Enerhen, Effurun, Essi Layout, Ekpan, Ovwian, Aladja, Orhuwhorun, Ugboroke, Ugborikoko, Okuokoko, Osubi, Orerokpe, Ebrumede, Ugolo, Jeddo, Orho-Agbarho, Ujevwu, Uvwiamuge, Egini, Otor-Udu, Iwhrekan, Ekrokpe, Ekrerhavwe-Agbarho, Eruemukohwarie, Okpare-Olomu, Ekakpamre, Eku, Okpara-Otor, Okpara-Urhie, Ovu, Ubogo, Ukpiovwi, Otu-Jeremi, Otokutu, Ekete-Otor, Ekete-Urhie, Opete, Usiefrun, Egbo-Uhurie are in Urhobo land. The Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, FUPRE are in Warri as a landscape feature marking a location. Most places they refer to as Lagos of today are in Ogun state. Lagos is a landmark identity for some areas in Ogun state.

The Itsekiri villages and towns are located in far away creeks and they don’t want to go back to their native local communities. That has been their major problem. Itsekiris claim to be natives of Warri Urban but the question you will ask them is, where exactly are their native villages and towns in Warri Urban?

I’m a native of Iwhrekan town in Ughelli South. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is from Osubi town in Okpe LGA. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege is from Orogun in Ughelli North. Great Ogboru is from Abraka in Ethiope East. James Ibori is from Oghara in Ethiope West. Ighoyota Amori is from Mosogar in Ethiope West, and Kenneth Gbagi is from Oginibo in Ughelli South.

The Okumagba, Olodi, and Oki Ighogbadu families are from Okere-Urhobo in Warri urban. Sam-Warri Essi’s family are from Igbudu Town in Warri Urban. Where are the native villages and towns of the Itsekiri people?

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The Urhobo people go to their home villages and towns and build houses in them and live there with the locals no matter how successful they are in the major cities of Nigeria and in the world, apart from those Urhobo people who are natives of urban towns and cities. The Urhobo people don’t just build houses in their home villages and towns but they are proud to live with their people. They don’t hang around the major cities of Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Benin, Abuja, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Port-Harcourt or LGA headquarters and claim to be city people. Ibru brothers are a good example of people who related and lived in Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North and Ovwor-Olomu in Ughelli South with their locals. Chief James ‘Ogboko’ Edewor lived in his Eku hometown. Chief Johnson Ukueku also lived in Eku town in Ethiope East, Chief T.E.A Salubi lived in his Ovu hometown in Ethiope East with his locals while the Itsekiri prominent people are shy of their native home villages and towns and claim to be natives of Warri urban. As for me, I’m proud to live in my native home community with our locals for many years.

Though the local Airport is in Osubi town of Okpe LGA, it is known as Warri Airport being a landmark identity. PTI and FUPRE are in Warri being a landmark name.
The Itsekiri villages and towns they abandoned to lay claim to Warri Urban will turn their villages and towns into extinction if they don’t return to them, live in them, and develop them. Very few Itsekiri locals live in their native villages and towns as the Urhobos and Ijaws do. The interest of Warri urban has overshadowed their native home villages and towns.

What is now referred to as Warri is a landmark identity. The Olu of Warri is the traditional ruler over the Itsekiri people only. Olu’s domain doesn’t include the Urhobo and Ijaw land areas in Warri urban city as people may believe out of ignorance.

Zik Gbemre
January 15, 2024

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