Read the amazing historical facts about the Four Warri Kingdoms in Delta State...by Oliver lmuere
Fact: 1) The Olu of Iwerre was crowned in Ode Itsekiri and not in Warri city that is Popular to everyone
2) The people of Enerhen Junction, OKERE Urhobo, Ekurede Urhobo, Igbudu, Agbassa, Ogunu, Edjeba, Okumagba avenue, McDermott, Deco road, Bazunu, did not take part in the celebration, there was nothing to show in these areas that a king was being Crowned for them
And these areas constitute the heartbeat or live wire of Modern Warri metropolis.
3) This is because these people are not Itsekiris and have their own kings.
4) All Itsekiri kings from 1485 to 1952 are usually crowned and rule the Itsekiri people from ode Itsekiri. There was only one Palace for the Itsekiri people from 1485 to 1952.
5) That in the year 1952, the then Olu of Itsekiri Erejuwa II, decided to have another Palace, a Political Palace in WARRI CITY.
6) Consequently the Original Traditional Palace remained in Ode Itsekiri, but the new Political Palace was built in ugborin area of Warri.
7) But before he built this new Palace he squatted in a leased land given to him by the Awani family.
8). Later on to entrench his hold on this Warri city he, and his Iyasere Chief Alfred Rewane, Leased lands from the Okumagba family of Okere Urhobo to build a Town Hall for the Itsekiri people. This was the Itsekiri sociocultural cooperative building . This happened in 1961
9) It was this Leasing of a land from a non Itsekiri an Urhobo family by a King that flawed his claims as having Overlordship title to all lands in Warri city. This was used as evidence against him in the Supreme Court in 1974 and he lost
10) Now let us Understand one thing that WARRI CITY, did not exist before 1908.
11) Before 1908, the only Place known as Warri was Ode Itsekiri, or Iwerre land.
12) So any ancient document before 1908 referring to Warri is only and Only Ode Itsekiri... nothing more
13 ) But in 1908 the British wanted to build a new city for Colonial purposes and the lands of ode Itsekiri ( Original WARRI) was too small, so it deliberately extended the size to other adjoining towns and Villages.
14) Some of these Surrounding Towns and Villages are Agbassa, Okere, Igbudu, Alders Town, and Ogbe Ijoh.
15) But unfortunately the Itsekiris do not own many of these Towns and Villages as they belong to other Ethnic groups.
16) This is similar to Lagos Govt being extended to Ikeja, Oshodi, Ojota, Ajah, Epe, that have their own Obas yet they are now called Lagos.
17) Similar to Asaba capital of Delta state being extended to Okwe, Okpanam and Ibusa.
18) Similar to ABUJA being extended to Gwagwalada, Kuje, Zuba, Bwari, Asokoro, Maitama, e.t.c yet being called ABUJA.
18) Unfortunately these people that the name Warri became extended to do not Practice Monarchy from Ancient times, they were a Republican people, they had no King.
19) By imposing the name Warri on their settlements caused a lot of Problems for them.
20) So in 1908, 2 Warri came into existence, the Original or Traditional Warri called Ode Itsekiri in the Riverine and the Political Warri a modern city that has form a cornubation of other Towns today.
21) The Itsekiris themselves, coined a term after this event took place for ode Itsekiri and started calling it "Big Warri" to differentiate it from Modern Warri city.
22) So today Big Warri refers to Ode Itsekiri, a term which came into existence only after 1908.
23) In 1936 after 88 years of Interregnum the Itsekiris wanted to Crown an Olu again for themselves as the Olu of Warri.
24) But the Urhobos whose lands the Political Warri had been extended to protested claiming that the Word Warri now had a meaning beyond the Itsekiris as the identities of these Urhobos will be Subsumed as being subservient to the Olu if Warri is used that with the Present reality the most accurate Title ought to be Olu of Itsekiri.
25) The British accepted the Urhobo argument and Crowned Emiko as GINUWA II as the Olu of Itsekiri instead of the Olu of Warri.
26) But the Itsekiris never wanted that title from day one, they preferred the Title Olu of Warri because according to them the word Warri is a corruption of the word Iwerre.
27) The British tired of the numerous Petitions from the Olu gave a final solution..."we will crown you as the Olu of Iwerre, since Iwerre is your original rendering" Warri is our own creation. Warri means a different thing to us. It means a Province, a District and a city composing of many tribes and to you it is a corruption of the word Iwerre , we will not give you a corrupted version, we will give you the real version.
28) But the Itsekiris also refused that offer.
29) I align with the British hence in all my writings I refer to him as the Olu of Iwerre.
30) But in 1952, the British handed the regions to the locals Awolowo was Premier of Western region and for Political reasons, he changed the title from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri.
31) With this a second Palace was built in Warri city.
32) Following this a deliberate policy was put in place to Subsume the identies of the other ABORIGINAL tribes of Warri city, and this led to a lot of riots and Ethnic based Wars.
33) Various Commission of inquiries were set up to address these crisis.
34 ) To finally solve this Problem edict no 1 of 1997 was set up to create 3 additional kings for the Other tribes that constitute modern Warri city. This was done by Wing commander Walter Feghabo.
35) This Edict Gazetted 3 more kings for Warri city.
Urhobos were give 2 of this kings and Ijaw one. The Urhobo kings are 1) Ovie of Agbarha Kingdom in Warri city. 2) Ovie of OKERE Urhobo kingdom in WARRI CITY.
36) These kings had since be crowned and they now rule over their lands and People in Warri city.
37) Infact their territory constitute over 70% of the total land mass of Warri city.
38). But because their Kingdoms are of a recent origin they are still not known to many in the outside world. It is left to the Urhobo people to market their own kings in Warri city, because the Urhobos form the bulk of People marketing and advertising Warri to the outside World.
39) But alternatively since the Itsekiris have rejected the Title Olu of Itsekiri in other to claim Warri city, the Urhobos of Modern WARRI CITY and Cornubation, can change the name of their Areas to another name entirely instead of trying to identify with Warri or Iwerre. If We add Agbassa, OKERE Urhobo, Ekurede Urhobo, Igbudu, Edjeba Okumagba avenue, Enerhen Junction, McDermott, Deco road, Bazunu, Ogunu to Udu road, Ovwian, Orhuwhorun, Effurun, Ekpan, Jeddo and Osubi to form a new city a mega city called for Example MOWOE CITY in honor of that founding Urhobo hero, the word Warri would go into oblivion 50 years from now on
40) Finally I congratulate the new Olu of Iwerre land Olu Atuwatse III. Long live and Prosperity. May your reign be long, blissful, Peaceful and may it bring Prosperity to Warri city, Iwerre land and Delta state.
God bless you and make you grow in wealth, wisdom , Wealth and Spirituality.
Ogiame Suoooooooo
Ejiro Imuere
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