Warri
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| Warri | |
  Warri
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Nigeria |
| State | Delta State |
Warri is a Major Oil city in Delta State, Nigeria, with a population in the range of over a million people. The people of Warri are mainly the Itsekiri's, Urhobo's, Ijaw's, but other ethnic groups also live within the city. Warri is predominantly Christian, as is most of Southern Nigeria.
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[edit] History
Warri is also known as a major port city in the Nigeria and serves as the cargo transit point between the Niger River and the Atlantic Ocean. Its history dates back to the 15th century, when it was visited by Portuguese missionaries. Subsequently it served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Warri developed as a port city during the late 1800s, when it became a center for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins. [1]
Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the 1900s.[2] The population of Warri has grown drastically since the 1960s because of the worldwide oil boom. This growth, however, has exceeded the development of transportation, housing, and urban services.
The city's traditional ruler, the Olu of Warri, was formerly known as the Olu of Itsekiri. When the title was changed by Awolowo's Western Nigeria government from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri in 1952, members of the other tribes (Urhobos,Isokos and Ijaws) saw this as an attempt to impose a Itsekiri ruler over them.[3] The title dispute has led to series of clashes between the tribes in Warri over sovereignty.
In 1997, under the government of military dictator Sani Abacha, the headquarters of a Local Government Area was moved from an Ijaw town, Ogbe Ijaw, to the Itsekiri town, Ogidigben. Riots ensued, hundreds died, and six Shell Nigeria (SPDC) installations were taken over by youths, leading to a drop in oil production. The crisis is known as the "Warri Crisis."[3]The headquarters have since been relocated to Ogbe ijaw by the Delta State House of Assembly.
[edit] Demographics
Development has bridged the boundaries of Warri, Uvwie, Udu, and Okpe in recent years, with various road networks linking these places into one. Most facilities are built within these four locations under the developmental envelop of Warri city.
[edit] Climatic conditions
Warri is surrounded by a tropical rain forest and swamp. The region experiences high rainfall and high humidity for most part of the year. The climate is equatorial and is marked by two distinct seasons. The Dry and Rainy seasons. The Dry season lasts from about November to April and is significantly marked by the cool "harmarttan" dusty haze from the north-east winds. The Rainy season spans May to October with a brief dry spell in August.But it frequently rains ever in the Dry season.
[edit] Economy and infrastructure
Warri is is a very popular oil-producing city in Nigeria with a Refinery located at Ekpan;
majority of the major Oil companies operating in Nigeria have their operational offices in warri.
Warri also has a seaport and an airport, located at Osubi.
[edit] Security
The Warri Naval Base is located on the bank of Warri river , while the Effurun Army Base is located near the city.
[edit] Entertainment
Warri has a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 which has hosted two editions of the African Women Football Championship in 2002 and 2006 respectively.Also the city has a team playing in the second division professional football league.
Warri has a local television and radio station, Delta Rainbow Television Warri, and Delta State Radio Warri and also a Private Radio station, J FM.
[edit] Manufacturing and raw materials
The economic base of the city lies in the presence of a refinery and other Oil and Gas companies. There are many other investment opportunities like in the tourism sector.
Also,there is the steel company, Delta Steel Company, which is located in Ovwian-Aladja area of Udu, which is a boundary town to Warri. Delta Steel Company has been brought over by Global Steel Company.
The Beta Glass Plant is located at Agbarho which is rich in silica and silicates raw materials required for manufacture of Glass,Ceramics and Cement. The Power Holding Company which is one of Nigeria's Power Generating Stations is located at Agbarho.
[edit] Transport
In 1991, construction started on a standard gauge railway from the steel mills at Ajaokuta to the port of Warri, about 275km away. By 2006, the standard gauge lines had reached 329km in length, but the final 19km Warri section is still incomplete.
Major road network within the city is been improved upon by the state government to improve the image of the city. The federal government has completed the Warri-Benin Road Dualisation, and is presently working on the Effurun-Port Harcourt Road Dualisation Project . Transportation within the city is mainly by bus and motorcycle.
Transport by air into the city is through Warri Airport (also known as Osubi Airstrip) which is located in Osubi.
Arik airline , virgin nigeria and aero contractors are some of the main airlines operating commercial flights on this route.
Movement of goods by sea is through the Nigerian Ports Authority(Delta Ports) which is mainly for export and import of goods by major companies;but also, the main warri riverside which plays host to major markets in the town act as a transit point for local transport;there are local boats which is used for movement of goods from one location to another.
[edit] Educational institutions
The federal government established the Federal University of Petroleum Resource Effurun (FUPRE) in April 2007, which started off from the campus of another institution (the Petroleum Training Institute) in Effurun, Uvwie.
A College of Education is also located at Edjeba, Warri along side the State Nursing School .
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.greatestcities.com/Africa/Nigeria/Warri_city.htmlRetrieved January 13, 2008
- ^ Ekeh, Peter Palmer (2005). Warri City and British Colonial Rule in Western Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society, 31. ISBN 9780649247.
- ^ a b Manby, Bronwen (1999). Price of Oil: Corporate Responsibility and Human Rights Violations in Nigeria's Oil Producing Communities. Human Rights Watch, 111-112. ISBN 1564322254.
[edit] External links
