Warri Wards Delineation: How Not To Beautify Ethnic Bigotry

HM, Olu of Warri and his Itsekiri subjects should embrace the truth, the reality, move on and make amends as a matter of choice. The truth is bitter but it must be said.

The drums of war being beaten by some individuals in Warri over the latest INEC Wards Delineation are uncalled for.

I’m, not out of ethnic sentiments, delighted that amidst the flood of arguments, fallacies and half truth by parties to protect tribal interests, Dr Ejiro Imuere L.LB has presented the most fluid and objective perspective and details on this wards conflict in a manner that makes every listener convinced on the facts of the case.

The undeniable facts, which were well upheld by the courts and implemented by INEC, discarded the former Ward structures and fraudulent voters registers in Warri Federal Constituency.

As Dr Imuere stressed, Itsekiri playing the victim and investing heavily in vain media propaganda in the court of public opinion in failed bid to discard a Supreme Court’s unassailable judgment won’t favour them this time around.

Their predicament is intentionally self inflicted. While Itsekiri people are busy investing all their might on fighting over ownership of a Warri urban where they are trespassers in the heart of the city, Ijaws and Urhobos were busy developing their home communities and territories.

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Over time, by their own lamentations, they have began losing their original communities in their ancestral habitats, pockets of hamlets along the Warri costal lines, in sharp contract to their neighbors, the Ijaws who are increasingly investing in their communities.

Today Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West LGA stands out and has attracted alot of development and has turned to tourist centre by promoting Ijaw traditions and customs. The Urhobo people are also developing their communities.

Today, thanks to the dynamics of voters registration and wards delineation, INEC has said no to fraudulent armchair fabrication of ghost wards from empty and nonexistent Itsekiri communities.

INEC has by the latest wards creation put a stop to fishes in the river voting for ghost Itsekiri communities, registered voters overshooting total population of imaginary Itsekiri communities.

It is appalling that rather than retrace their steps to begin to develop their deserted ancestral homes, Itsekiris continue to delight in media propaganda to sustain the lies in the hope that it will be business as usual.

It is disappointing to what extent even notable Istekiri leaders are willing to trash their self esteem and integrity by joining this show of shame in clinging to the game of lies in the name of fighting for Warri ownership.

Imagine the respected and articulate Chief Mene Brown, coming on national TV to claim Istekiris own entire Warri and Urhobos with two kingdoms in the heart of the city are strangers, so they label the Ijaws. Who is listening to that propaganda?

Itsekiri King, politicians and elites should go back to their communities in the creeks and develop them just as the Ijaw people are presently doing. The question is always there. Where are the communities of Itsekiri people in Warri Urban?

Today most of the Itsekiri settlements in Warri urban are satellite communities filled with sharp sand in recent time. The Itsekiri people claim to own Warri urban and no justification to prove that right.

Ode Itsekiri which is the traditional headquarters of Itsekiri is not where Olu lives. He lives outside his traditional headquarters. I have repeatedly advised our Itsekiri brothers and sisters to go back to the villages and towns if not they will go into extinction. Itsekiri people are crowded in towns and cities of Delta and abandoned their native villages and towns.

Why should a traditional ruler live outside his native community. If they won’t live in their communities who will now live there? The Itsekiri should emulate the Ijaw and Urhobo people by going back to their native home towns.

According to Chief Johnny Michael the Ijaws are the majority tribe in Warri South West and Warri North while the Urhobos are the majority tribe in Warri South LGA which is the Warri Urban. A glare fact.

Itsekiri not wanting to identify with their home villages and towns is worrisome and should be a concern to every Itsekiri person.

Like I have said that I am not a native of Warri. I am a native of Iwhrekan Town in Ughievewen clan of Ughelli South LGA.

It is time for Itsekiri not to shy from their native home towns. Olu of Warri doesn’t live in his ancestral home town of Ode-Itsekiri. The Pere (King) of Ogbe-Ijoh lives in the headquarters of Ogbe-Ijoh. The Ovie of Agbarha-Ame Warri lives in Otorho-Agbarha (Agbassa).

The Orosue (king) of Okere-Urhobo Warri lives in Okere-Urhobo his hometown. The Pere (king) of Gbaramatu kingdom lives in Gbaramatu in the creeks and Ijaws have developed the place and now have federal presence. How will Itsekiri attract development to their hometowns if they don’t live in them.

Itsekiri politicians and elites only go to their hometowns on election day and return to the cities the same day. INEC wards dileanation has exposed them that only few aged people live in Itsekiri villages and towns during verification that informed the ward creation.

It is clear fact that Obafemi Awolowo as the Premier of Western region changed the title of Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri in 1952. Before 1952 there was nothing like Olu of Warri. It is a political creation by Awolowo that is still generating crises to date.

Why do the Itsekiri people prefer the name of Warri than their tribes name? The Olu and his Itsekiri people should embrace reality and stop wishful thinking. The Itsekiri people should emulate the Ijaw people who are fast developing their communities in the creeks that have become tourist attraction. Okerenkoko Town in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West LGA has a Nigerian Marine University in the creeks.

Venice is a city built on top of water in Italy and natives of Venice are proud of that city and Venice city has become a tourist centre. Olu and his Itsekiri people should return to the home villages and towns in Benin river that have been abandoned for cities in Delta and Nigeria.

If you don’t develope your place then who will develop it for you. Olu and Itsekiri people should return to their native home villages and towns in Benin river and creeks for genuine development of Itsekiri land. INEC has done the right thing by correcting the past wrong.

INEC officials visited all the communities in Warri Federal Constituency and discovered that Itsekiri villages and towns are inhabited by few elderly people while the Warri South LGA which is Warri urban is dominated by Urhobo people and Warri North and Warri South West LGAs are dominated by Ijaw people.

Zik Gbemre
May 2,2025

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