Warri was once a provincial capital to british rule. Theophilus onojeghen the oba of benin, his royal majesty, oba ewuare ii, on saturday paid a historic visit to the olu of warri, his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, calling on. In 1997, general sanni abacha set up a committee for the creation of states and local governments. The event held at odeitsekiri ancestral palace of the monarch, warri north council area was scanty of prominent invited guest except a number of itsekiri sons and daughters. The warri crisis was a series of riots and clashes between the ijaw and the itsekiri ethnic. You cannot aspire to be olu of warri because there are processes and procedures before you dream of becoming olu of warri. Invited dignitaries boycott olu of warri first coronation.
The recommendation, nomination andor selection of mr. Lagos december th urhobotodayseveral invited dignitaries were on monday conspicuously absent at the one year coronation anniversary of the olu of warri. A lawyer by profession and the second university graduate to ascend the great throne of warri kingdom. Dec 12, 2015 the new monarch of warri kingdom is his royal majesty godfrey abiloye ikenwoli emiko, who history henceforth shall record as the third universitygraduate olu of itsekiriland after dom antonio. Events in pictures national association of seadogs. Dec 03, 2016 ogiame ikenwole the olu of warri getting set for oyo ekoro credit. The battle over who controls warri has been underway for several generations. The olu of warri, hrm ogiame ikenwoli has conferred the title of ologbotsere prime minister of warri kingdom on chief ayirimi emami. History of itsekiri people delta state page 1 of 1. Heralded by a boat regatta at the waterfronts of the warri naval base and the warri club in the morning. Warri is an inland port on one of the niger river channels in the niger delta.
Spread the lovethe 26th coronation anniversary celebration of the olu of warri, ogiame atuwatse ii, kicks off colourfully today in the oilrich city of warri. As his records show in chapter 6 of this book, in 1943 salubi hosted in. Nnamdi azikiwes national council of nigeria and the camerouns, ncnc, while the itsekiris voted for late chief obafemi awolowos action group, ag. All hail the new olu of warri the guardian nigeria news. The coveted position had been vacant for over 30 years. This article traces the history of this struggle to the colonial period, during a time of. Oba of benin in historic visit to olu of warri punch. Founded by prince ginuwa from benin 60 miles 97 km north in the late 15th century, it grew to become. The burden of oil index of university of california, berkeley.
Philip igbafe in his benin under british administration represented the unwieldy but fluid empire which was made up of a loose conglomeration of various peoples covering from most of presentday delta and edo states to lagos. Palace sources told saharareporters that the traditional ruler of itsekiri kingdom in delta state died at a private hospital in lagos of. Olua was prince ginuwas father so the title represented as olua of warri, which over time was corrupted to olu. According to bini and itsekiri histories ginuwa, a prince of benin founded the iwerre warri kingdom about 1480. Delta state is one of the oilproducing states in southsouth nigeria. We gives news update, entertainment and jokes from all over the country. King abiloye emerges as godfrey ikenwole emiko named olu of. Itsekiri chiefs confirm death of olu of warri premium times. Former itsekiri chief nana olomus palace has been converted into a museum which chronicles his interactions with the british. Sep 18, 2017 the olu of warri, his majesty ogiame ikenwoli, has explained why those he called outsiders control the oil blocks in the niger delta region, particularly in delta state. I have benin roots, but oba olua did not sent his son to rule over anyone. European influence in ijoitsekiri relations in nigeria african.
The city is known nationwide for its unique pidgin english. The making of an olu, through the eyes of history, by. Mar 20, 2015 the warri throne, being a direct offshoot of the benin monarchy, bears all its attributes. Ayiri emamis emergence as ologbotsere should not divide. The olu of warri, olu of warri, ogiame atuwatse ii is dead. One major event that took place before the coronation was the boatcanoe regatta, like an armada of boats. Warri traditional council of chiefs officially announced the demise of the olu of warri, ogiame atuwase 11, on saturday, which laid to rest the controversy surrounding the death of the monarch. The insight into the emergence of the 20th olu of warri, his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, came to the fore yesterday during a public presentation of a book, the emergence of his majesty ogiame ikenwoli as 20th olu of warri, authored by toritseju emiko, a prince of warri kingdom. Installed as his royal majesty ogiame ikenwoli, the crowning name was not a continuity of neither his immediate predecessor nor any of his predecessors down the centuries. Itsekiri chiefs confirm death of olu of warri premium. The current olu of warri is his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, the olu of warri who was crowned on 12 december 2015 at odeitsekiri big warri, the ancestral home of itsekiri nation. Jemide, offer a comprehensive examination of the itsekiri of nigeria, including warri, the olu of warri, and the legal maneuvers of their vilifiers.
The crown, highly glamorised, is the symbol of supreme authority in both kingdoms. History agrees that when he arrived okere with the regalia and majesty of his upbringing, the inhabitants, probably itinerants in fishing camps, were awed and joyous. Vaughans insightful study of yoruba chieftaincy in his book, nigerian chiefs. It is often said that a chief in warri kingdom is an equivalent of a king in other kingdoms in nigeria and beyond because the history of the itsekiri people is so rich and deep that such honor is not given base on monetary considerations as it is often done in other domains but on certain features which the olu alone finds in such persons. In an interview with our correspondent yesterday in warri, the chairman of the coronation planning committee, chief emmanuel tetsola and the chairman of the publicity subcommittee, mr.
The new monarch of warri kingdom is his royal majesty godfrey abiloye ikenwoli emiko, who history henceforth shall record as the third universitygraduate olu of itsekiriland after dom antonio domingo olu oyenakpagha or obanighenren 16251643 and the immediate past olu ogiame atuwatse ii 19872015. Alagoa, a history of the niger delta, port harcourt. It lies along the warri river in the western niger river delta, 30 miles 48 km upstream from the port of forcados on the bight of benin. This is a fan page for the king of warri kingdom, the olu of warri. The present monarch, his majesty, ogiame atuwatse ii is the 19th olu of warri.
Their son antonio domingo was olu of warri in the 1640s. And so this is not merely illogical and irrational, it is. The title one of the citys traditional ruler, the olu of warri, was formerly known as. He also visited the the president of the christian association of nigeria can pastor ayo oritsejafor in his house in warri more photos below. Encountering itsekiri history, by eric teniola premium. It became a prominent trade centre within the oil rivers protectorate. Penguin books, 1995, ken sarowiwa, genocide in nigeria. The court did not purport to make a pronouncement on the subsequent expansion of the. Warri is a large place in the region of delta in nigeria with a population of approximately 536,023 people and is one of the largest places in nigeria. These are the three top itsekiri chieftaincy titles in the kingdom. According to oral tradition, the doctors head disappeared. Who owns warri and the olu of warri title naija news. In the 15th century warri was visited by portuguese missionaries. Nov 10, 2015 despite this warning, he was beheaded in warri.
Early warri adminstrative domains in the preindependence elections, ijaws and urhobos voted for late dr. Warri tended religiously to follow benin titles every sixty years on the average. The citys history dates back to the 15th century, when it was visited by portuguese missionaries. President goodluck jonathan on friday, january 24, 2015, paid a courtesy visit to the olu of warri, ogiame, atuwatse ii, in his palace. Best magicians on britains got talent 2019 magicians got talent duration. Kingdoms of nigeria, the nigerian database of rulers. Isaac omiretsuli jemide for the conferment of the chieftaincy title of oshodi by his royal highness, gbemi emiko erejuwa ii, the olu of warri as per letter dated 25th october, 1985 be declared null and void and contrary to the itsekiri customary law regulating the nomination, selection and. The element of fact in this story is that there probably was a clash between omateye and some of the olus wives which made the olu reprimand his son in very sharp terms.
Titled the change of the title olu itsekiri to olu of warri, the paper. Why the olu of warri is under pressure to leave the throne. Ikenwoli godfreyemiko is new olu of warri culture nigeria. The history of itsekiri has many versions which are almost being. Olu of warri makes chief ayiri emami, the prime minister. Full warri hotels list no booking fees best price guarantee book now, pay later. Ironically, british lust for economic control, led to eventual political control. After the discovery of oil, companies reached agreements with the olu of warri, depriving other communities of benefits. Warri, town and port, delta state, southern nigeria. Warri sits on the bank of river warri which joined river forcados and river escravos through jones creek in the lower niger delta region. A head of the coronation of the olu of warri designate, prince godfrey ikenwoli emiko, engineers, surveyors, architects, designers and planners of itsekiri ethnic nationality, have been summoned to an emergency meeting. It is expedient to start this essay by writing the histories of the peoples concerned in the study of the isekiri and the urhobo conflict. The ijaws and urhobos say that some local court judgments in the dispute were.
Olu of warri makes chief ayiri emami, the prime minister of. Jul 29, 2017 angry itsekiri indigenes besieged the palace of the olu of warri today in protest against the olus intention to confer very important traditional titles known as the ologbotsere prime minister. Though theres a political and democratic system of government in nigeria, even during the military rule, the functions of traditional rulers in have always been important. Finally, the raging controversy over who becomes the new ologbotsere traditional prime minister of warri kingdom has been laid to rest as the olu of warri, ogiame ikenwoli on saturday installed chief etoromi emami as the new ologbotsere. It became a prominent trade centre within the oil rivers. Installed as his royal majesty ogiame ikenwoli, the crowning name was not a continuity of neither his immediate predecessor nor. A royal visit by olu of warri to oba of benin youtube. The governing board of the nigerian national merit award is currently soliciting nominations or applications for the award of the nigerian national order of merit nnom for the 2020 round. Olu erejuwa, who reigned from about 1720 to 1800, expanded warri politically and commercially, using the portuguese to further warris independence of benin and to establish control over a wider area.
History of itsekiri people the itsekiri also called the, isekiri, ljekri itsekri or ishekiri or itsekhiri are an ethnic group of nigerias niger delta area, delta state. It used to be part of the old bendel state which was split into edo and delta states on august 27, 1991 by the general ibrahim babangida military government. The day the calabash is broken is same day a new olu emerges or announced. The warri kingdom is a part of the traditional state based on the town of warri in delta state, nigeria. The most violent eruption of this struggle occurred between 1997 and 1999. Erejuwa ii was a nigerian traditional title holder and paramount leader of the itsekiri who was olu of warri from 1951 to 1964 and from 1966 to 1987. Pdf a diverse presentation of the history of the urhobo people of nigerias western.
Itsekiri names olu of warri designate ripples nigeria. Sep 20, 2015 the death of the olu of warri, ogiame atuwatse ii was officially pronounced in itsekiri kingdom and now an olu of warri designate has been chosen. Nov 10, 2014 this weekend royalty and riches met as ivie okunbo, daughter of captain hosa okunbo, said to be the richest man in benin and prince tsola emiko, the first son of the olu of warri, had their. So get the facts rights and stop distorting history here. Dec, 2015 itsekiri nation, yesterday, closed a royal transition in warri kingdom with the crowning of prince ikenwole gbemisi emiko as hrm, ogiame ikenwole i, the 20th olu of warri, who succeeds his elder brother, atuwatse ii.
Jul 10, 2016 this video is about olu of warri visit. Sep 20, 2015 the itsekiri nation, yesterday, announced the passage of ogiame atuwatse ii, the olu of warri, and immediately designated his younger brother, prince ikenwole godfrey abiloye emiko, as successor. Ife oracle in itsekiri social system of nigeria scipress. Their 1,520 square mile homeland, known over time in history as iwere or awyri, warree, aweri and wari etc, had diplomatic, christian and trade relations with medieval europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. Lagos september 18th urhobotodaythere were indications last night that the olu advisory council of warri kingdom in delta state may announce, tomorrow, the transition of the olu of warri, ogiame atiwatse ii. Kingdoms of nigeria, the nigerian database of rulers, kings. The making of an olu, through the eyes of history, by agbeyegbe. Why outsiders control niger delta oil blocks, by olu of warri. In the warri area of the western niger delta region of nigeria, the activities. The itsekiri ancient kingdom of warri dates back to the 15th century. Olu of warri coronation focus on itsekiri cultural. Also conferred on friday, were the titles of the iyatsere and uwangue of warri kingdom. In the middle of the 16th century, the kings palace was relocated to the site of todays warri, which then became the capital of the itsekiri kingdom in the delta.
Angry itsekiri indigenes besieged the palace of the olu of warri today in protest against the olu s intention to confer very important traditional titles known as the ologbotsere prime minister. Book the best hotels in warri, nigeria at amazing prices on jumia travel. Crowning ikenwoli as 20th olu of warri vanguard news. At last, olu of warri installs ayirimi emami as traditional. Jul 15, 2018 theophilus onojeghen the oba of benin, his royal majesty, oba ewuare ii, on saturday paid a historic visit to the olu of warri, his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, calling on nigerians to promote values. The warri kingdom is a traditional state with the olu king of warri as the paramount ruler of the kingdom. They point to the fact that the colonial masters knew to label the itsekiri paramount leader olu of itsekiri and not olu of warri as he was a king of his people in a cosmopolitanmulti tribe warri. Nov 25, 2017 the olu of warri, his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, has said the emergence of chief ayirimi emami as the ologbotsere of warri, should unite and not divide the itsekiri nation under his reign. The story of a kingdom whose birth was divinely orchestrated by the unseen.
At the beginning of the 17th century, a son of the reigning olu was sent to portugal and returned with a portuguese wife. New olu of warri may be name tomorrow saturday urhobo today. Since history is the laboratory of the social sciences, it will be worthwhile to clarify the history if the peoples, to see why they have conflicts in the modern day. Warri was a powerful, sovereign and independent kingdom until 1894, when governor nana was defeated in an unjust war levied by the british who were then hell bent on colonizing that very rich part of west africa, in order to control the trade, commodities and resources.
Historically, the olu of warri, like the oba, is the personal focus of the peoples loyalty and affection. Ikenwoli godfreyemiko is new olu of warri culture nairaland nairaland forum nairaland general culture ikenwoli godfreyemiko is new olu of warri 25243 views ooni of ife visits ogiame ikenwoli, the olu of warri olu of warri, ikenwole, ayiri emami cross over to ancestral palace across river new olu of warri, ogiame ikenwoli i. The itsekiri presently number just over a million people and live mainly in the warri south, warri north and warri south west local government districts of. Palace aghofen sources said the formal announcement may be accompanied by the name of an olu designate and successor to atuwatse ii. Desmond agbama, cps to oba of benin the age long relationship between benin kingdom and warri. Oba of benin in historic visit to olu of warri punch newspapers.
The citys history dates back to the 15th century, when it was. In 1936 they declared the olu king of itsekiri to be the olu of warri, a claim recognized by the colonial government in the 1950s. Warri is predominantly christian with mixture of african traditional religions like most of the southern nigeria. T he itsekiri people had awaited this day saturday, december 12, for coronation of their new king. Their 1,520 square mile homeland, known over time in history as iwere or awyri, warree, aweri and wari etc, had diplomatic, christian and trade relations with medieval europe. Sign up for facebook today to discover local businesses near you. They continue to be angered by the 1953 move by awo to change the title to the olu of warri. The present olu of warri, ogiame atuwatse ii, was crowned in 1987. Olu of warri visits the ooni of ife photos culture nigeria. In a book titled history of the itsekiri written by a renowned. Ayomike in response to continuing urhobo attacks on itsekiri history, j.
This article traces the history of this struggle to the colonial period, during a time of administrative restructuring called reorganization, which began in 1928. Nana living history museum, located in the town of koko outside warri. Movement for the protection of iwere homeland facebook. Warri, nigeria facts and information on warri nigeria.
Was the only son of his father, that was made a member of the warri traditional council since 1983 and was also a member of warri local government council, where he served in several capacities. The fourth olu of warri, ojoluwa who ascended the throne in 1550 assumed the title of the fifteenth oba of benin ozolua who reigned in 1483. After weeks of silence about the whereabout of the olu of warri, ogiame atuwase, the itsekiri kingdom has formally announced his passing away, and a new olu designate named. This is the warri or iwere referred to in history books as the capital city of the itsekiris. 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. Olu of warri monarch commends nas for fight against cultism his majesty, ogiame ikenwoli, the olu of warri has applauded the national association of seadogs, pyrates confraternity for their consistent fight against cultism in tertiary institutions and other social vices in nigeria. History is at unity with legend that prince iginua later canonised as olu ginua the title, olu, being a tribute to his own father was warmly received when he arrived at okere.
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