The enemies of Warri’s progress

By SUNNY IKHIOYA

The vultures are gathering again. Those whose sources of income depend on the crises in warri and environs have started beating the drums, and the zombie foot soldiers are going about destroying and scattering without caring about the consequences of their actions. They are not moved by the fact that Warri, a once  bubbling and welcoming city, is now a shadow of its former self. 

They are not bothered by the facts that a city that was once the centre for commerce and industry now witnessed skilled and qualified hands migrating out in droves. They are contented by the activities of local war Lords who lack wisdom and understanding. The other day, Saturday 23rd August 2025, I was with a group of friends when someone ran to us , telling us that some cutlass wielding youths are terrifying the whole area, attacking the procession of a happy people celebrating the anniversary of their king. 

The elders who sent those boys on those errands have done the city a great disservice, they are not wise and it is such tomfoolery that has kept the city in the dark state that it is today. It should be clear to everyone that Warri is a metropolitan city with a lot of potential for growth, expansion and uplifting of the citizenry, but kept perpetually down by tribal bigots , instigating crises for their self aggradizement. 

Ask yourself this question: Who are those who have benefited from the crises that have brought the city to its knees? Look around you. Can you identify any Warri true blooded ones among them? Look again. Who are those controlling activities in the city? They are the gang leaders who operate by the jungle rules, and this is very unfortunate. The Urhobos, Itesekiris, and Ijaws are forever united by culture, intermarriages, and shared boundaries. 

There is no way that their relationship will not overlap, no matter how you tried to separate them. They have been related as neighbourly brothers,  eating from common pots, partying from childhood, so the disturbing signals coming from those sowing seeds of discord is very unfortunate. First, we must realise that the metropolitan city of Warri is not habited by a single ethnic group, and mutual respect should be the basic norm for all. 

There is a true Warri spirit, which is the spirit of integration, togetherness, shared love, empathy, and prosperity. Anyone who is working against this realisation is an enemy of Warri. These are the type egging on the bad boys to commit havoc. In every society, there are disagreements, even amongst siblings, and where such exists, there are established guidelines for dispute resolutions. The different traditional leaders and elders’ councils must begin to encourage the youths towards proper conduct. The law enforcement agents should not stand by idle when the rule of law is brazenly abused. The state government should also begin to focus on how to achieve lasting peace in the city. Part of the problem is the idleness of youths in Warri city. Something must be done about engaging them positively. 

As the governor is working on the infrastructure in the area, there should also be focus in the human development angle so that the infrastructure could be properly maintained. When you see an able bodied youth deliberately involved in the destruction of public assets, it is because of wrong orientation and schooling. We must do something about our unemployed youths. There is no enclave in Warri that you will not find an Itsekiri, Urhobo, and Ijaws living as neighbours, brothers, and in peace. You can factcheck me on this. 

So, the whole crises are superficial, for optics of those using it for their self promotions and not for the collective growth and development of the people in that area. By the forces of nature, the people have become tied to themselves, and no man contrived crisis can tear them apart. It had been done before, but how did it end ? Everyone ended up bruised. There was no side that did not feel the impact, despite the hubris that some of them are exhibiting today. 

Warri city remains in comatose as a daily reminder. If the city is home to different ethnic nationalities, there is nothing wrong with joint celebrations when any of the ethnic groups is celebrating a milestone. In the Warri of old, that was the tradition, you can feel it in the air anytime the Okere juju is approaching, with the “kpasha” whip. We all take part in it irrespective of ethnic colouration. 

The same thing happens during the Agbassa juju festival. Although that one comes with its own myth of fear but you can feel the scrapping of cutlasses by the celebrating parties. It was excitement galore, and the procession used to go round the whole city, no inhibition. And there are many other traditional celebrations, especially the dances, everyone was involved, if you are not dancing, you are watching, if not watching, you are looking round to socialise with or make new friends. It was a beauty to behold, Warri was special and entertaining. We can not even remember the beautiful ember seasons, with its own glamour and thrills. 

Oh! How we crave for the return of those beautiful days. Why should we now be delving into retrogression at this stage of our lives. Of recent we have seen Nigerian carnivals in cities of Europe, displaying our cultures and traditions and nobody is stopping them, why can’t we be tolerant to ourselves? Our constitution gives us the right to free movement, association, and speeches as long as it is not detrimental or constitutes a nuisance to government or peoples interests. 

What happened in Warri on Saturday 23rd August 2025 must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians, not only deltans, because Warri holds a very significant position in the jugular of this nation. The government must live up to its responsibility and never allow such to happen again. 

PS: It is good to hear that the governor of Delta state, Sheriff Oborevwori has ordered security operatives to go after the perpetrators of this act. No stone should be left unturned to fish them out and deal decisively with them to avoid future reoccurrence 

  *Ikhioya wrote via: http://www.southsouthecho.com

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