The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial capital of Delta State with a population of over 311,970 people in 2006. The city is the indigenous territory of Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaw people.
Warri shares boundaries with Uvwie to the east, Udu to the south east, Ogbe-ijoh to the south, and other communities in Warri South LGA to the west. Due to its rapid population growth and linked roads, the city and its border towns e.g. Uvwie, Udu merged into a conurbation collectively referred as "Warri"
Warri sits on the bank of Warri River which joined Forcados River and Escravos River through Jones Creek in the lower Niger Delta Region. 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.
Warri served as the capital of the colonial Warri Province during the early 1900s when this part of Delta State was under the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.
Warri City is native to three monarchs, namely;
• The Olu of Warri (itsekiri)
• The Ovie of Agbarha-Ame (Urhobo)
• The Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo (Urhobo)
History
Etymology
The name 'WARRI' was first associated with the Itsekiri ancestral capital town of Ode Itsekiri which the locals also refer to as 'Iwerre'. A mispronunciation of Iwerre by several European explorers probably resulted in various names like AWERRI, OUWERI, WARRE, WARREE, etc. The British eventually anglancised it as WARRI
British Advent pre Warri City
British colonialism effectively took off in the Western Niger Delta with the proclamation of the Oil Coast Protectorate by Great Britain in June 1885. British colonial administration was carried out through local chiefs like Nana Olomu of Ebrohimi in Benin River. This administration was effectively restricted to Benin River and its environs as the British were content with conducting trade with the people of the hinterlands through the Itsekiri as middlemen
Creation of Warri City
The British decided to move the seat of the administration of the Niger Coast Protectorate from the capital Ode-Itsekiri (Warri or Iwerre) to the uplands to have effective control of the hinterlands. In order to achieve this, the British in 1906 took a lease of a new trading station opened in 1898 on virgin lands for Alexander Miller Brothers Limited of Liverpool at the mouth of the Okere Creeks. This new trading station was also named WARRI after the capital Ode-Itsekiri so the Itsekiris dubbed Ode-Itsekiri BIG WARRI in order to differentiate Ode-Itsekiri from the new trading station.
Demographic
Its inhabitants are predominantly Christians of different denominations, and some practice a mixture of African traditional religions like most of Southern Nigeria. The city is known nationwide for its unique Pidgin.
Climate
The area is characterised by a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) with a mean annual temperature of and an annual rainfall amount of . High temperatures are typically between . The climate is monsoonal and marked by two distinct seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season lasts from about November to April and is significantly marked by the cool "harmattan" dusty haze from the north-east trade winds. The rainy season spans May to October with a brief drier spell in August, but it frequently rains even in the dry season. The surrounding region is predominantly rainforest, tending to swamplands in some areas. The vegetation is rich in timber trees, palm trees, as well as fruit trees.
Economy and infrastructure
There is the Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals located at Ekpan, Uwvie and Ubeji, Warri proportionately with the majority of international and local oil companies operating in Nigeria having their operational offices close by. One of the nation's major seaports is sited within Ugbuwangue, Warri.
Due to conflict in the late 90s, especially in 1999, most oil companies fled the town and nearby regions.
Security
Warri is garrisoned by the Amphibious Infantry battalion (Effurun Army Base) located in Effurun, a twin city to Warri and is administratively under the Brigade HQ in Port Harcourt.
The Nigerian Navy operates from its facilities in Warri.
The 61 Nigerian Air force Detachment also operates from its facilities in Jeddo, close to Warri.