Open Letter To Gov Oborevwori On The Need To Decisively Resolve The Ownership Conflict In Warri

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori
Executive Governor, Delta State
Government House, Asaba

Your Excellency,

I write to you today not just as a concerned citizen, but as a passionate indigene of Warri — one who has seen the city rise with promise and fall repeatedly into tension and distrust. This open letter is a patriotic appeal, motivated by the growing fear that if decisive leadership is not urgently applied, the Warri ethnic ownership dispute may once again explode, setting back the gains of peace, development, and social cohesion your administration has worked so hard to foster across Delta State.

Your Excellency, you are no stranger to the complex history and ethnic makeup of Warri. It is a city built on the foundations of diversity — inhabited primarily by the Itsekiri, Urhobo, and Ijaw peoples — each with their unique language, culture, traditional authority, and ancestral claims. These communities have lived in proximity for centuries, sharing the same space yet constantly navigating the sensitive terrain of ownership, identity, and political control. Unfortunately, this complex reality has, for too long, been mismanaged, misunderstood, and manipulated by vested interests, leading to decades of avoidable ethnic tension, intercommunal violence, and social fragmentation.

The ownership question in Warri is not new. It is rooted in colonial policies that created artificial hierarchies, government gazettes that sometimes favored one group over another, and political interpretations that ignored the reality of coexistence. From the 1920s when colonial administrators began appointing “warrant chiefs,” to the mid-20th century when government gazettes began recognizing certain stools, the seeds of discord were sown.

This culminated in several legal disputes, notably the Supreme Court case of Okumagba vs. Idundun (1961), which provided clarity on land ownership and community rights within Warri. That judgment remains a reference point, affirming that each community owns its ancestral land and no single ethnic group can lay exclusive claim to the whole of Warri. Successive governments have gazetted traditional rulers across the ethnic groups, thereby acknowledging each stool as legitimate within its boundary.

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Yet, despite these legal and administrative truths, propaganda and political manipulation have sustained the false narrative of exclusivity. This has fueled ethnic mistrust, distorted history, and poisoned generations with inherited grievances.

Your Excellency, this conflict is not about semantics or pride. It has real consequences. It has repeatedly threatened lives and property, undermined economic activities, and discouraged investment. It has created deep ethnic divisions, empowered criminal elements, and fostered youth restiveness. It has eroded mutual trust and distorted Warri’s collective identity as a shared city.

Warri, once dubbed the “oil city” of Nigeria, should today be a hub of prosperity. Instead, it is struggling under the weight of underdevelopment, unemployment, and infrastructural decay — all worsened by ethnic suspicions. Investors shy away from communities where ownership disputes linger. No businessman will put millions of dollars into a city where ethnic tension and fear strives instead of cooperating for progress.

The question of “Who owns Warri?” has become a rhetorical weapon — used by one ethnic group to dominate, resist, and exclude other ethnic groups hinged on overlordship and supremacy mentality. But at its core, the question is flawed. Warri is not, and has never been, the exclusive property of any single ethnic group. It is a city with multi-ethnic roots, shared history, and plural cultural identity. The truth is clear: each ethnic group owns its respective ancestral communities within Warri and is entitled to govern those communities under its own recognized and gazetted traditional institutions.

This is not a matter of debate or ethnic sentiment. It is a legal, constitutional, and administrative fact. Unfortunately, despite the clarity of law and the reality of demographics, certain traditional institutions and ethnic voices have continued to posture as the sole owners of Warri. These claims, often amplified in public forums, traditional titles, and political lobbying, continue to cause offense, provoke resistance, and stir communal discord. Such assertions undermine peaceful coexistence and amount to a direct challenge to the authority of the Delta State Government.

This is why I write to you, Your Excellency — to plead with you to act decisively and courageously, as the Chief Security Officer of the State, to finally bring this matter to a close. This lingering issue has outlived multiple administrations, each of which failed to address it boldly, either due to political considerations, fear of backlash, or misplaced loyalties. But history has shown us that where there is no resolution, there will always be instability.

I urge you to convene an urgent Warri Ownership and Unity Summit, initiated and chaired by your government, bringing together all traditional rulers in Warri — including the Olu of Warri, Ovie of Agbarha-Warri, Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo and Pere of Ogbe-Ijaw — their chiefs, council members, youth executives, elders, and women leaders. This gathering should be structured not just as a peace talk but as a government-backed resolution meeting, where the official stance of the state is delivered and documented.

Let the government declare unequivocally that:

1. Every ethnic group in Warri is recognized by the Delta State Government as the legal custodian of its own ancestral land and communities.

2. All traditional rulers whose stools have been gazetted by the government are legitimate authorities over their people and their jurisdictions.

3. No traditional ruler or ethnic group has monopoly over the entire city of Warri, nor the exclusive right to claim ownership over communities outside its ethnic boundary.

4. All traditional rulers in Warri are equal under the law. None is superior to the other, and all must be respected within the boundaries of their ethnic jurisdiction.

5. All traditional rulers must maintain peace and refrain from inflammatory declarations, titles, or conduct that could incite division or unrest.

6. The government will not hesitate to dethrone or sanction any traditional ruler or chief who engages in acts that breach the peace, violate government recognition protocols, or promote ethnic supremacy.

This declaration must be firm and final. The days of ambiguity and favoritism must end. Your silence or indecision must not be mistaken for approval of divisive claims.

Your Excellency, I am aware that such bold steps may appear politically risky. In a multi-ethnic state like Delta, where elections are often won or lost along ethnic lines, the temptation is always strong to avoid confrontation, play safe, or appease dominant interest groups. But I urge you — do not let political calculation override your constitutional duty.

By settling this conflict through transparent and lawful action, you will not lose votes; rather, you will gain the trust of millions of ordinary Deltans — especially the silent majority who yearn for peace and development. Leadership is not about avoiding difficult decisions; it is about confronting them with courage.

Resolving this issue will unlock the full economic potential of Warri. Investors will return with confidence, infrastructure projects will thrive without interruption, and human capital will remain rooted in the city. A peaceful and unified Warri is not just good for the people — it is good for business, education, and the GDP of Delta State.

Furthermore, the youth of Warri are watching. Many of them have grown up in an atmosphere poisoned by grievances. They have been misled to believe that supremacy over others is a birthright, and that conflict is the only language that gets results. But they are also open to hope. They want peace. They want jobs. They want development.

Your leadership today can redefine their future tomorrow. A bold declaration that all ethnic groups are equal stakeholders in Warri will send a message that resonates far beyond Delta State — that Nigeria’s diversity is a strength, not a threat.

Let it be clear that the resolution of this matter is not a favor to any group. It is a responsibility of government, a constitutional duty, and a moral obligation. You were elected on the promise of “advancing Delta,” and there can be no advancement without unity, peace, and equitable recognition.

In conclusion, I implore you to act now. Call the meeting. Make the declaration. Issue the directives. Dethrone those who rebel against peace. Empower those who seek unity. Lead boldly, Your Excellency, and history will thank you.

We, the people of Warri, await your action with hope in our hearts and faith in your leadership. May God bless you with *M.O.R.E Agenda* , wisdom, protect your administration, and grant Delta State the peace it so urgently needs.

Yours sincerely,

Ibuakevwe Ejiroghene
Immediate Past President General of Edjeba Community, Agbarha-Warri Kingdom,
Warri South LGA, Delta state.