Kingdom of Warri

The Kingdom Of Warri (Warri Kingdom) Or Iwerre kingdom is a part of the Nigerian traditional states that is Akin To The itsekiri People In Warri and around the world.

The Olu (king) of Warri kingdom is the head of the Itsekiri people in warri and the world.


History

According to Bini and Itsekiri histories, Olu Ginuwa, a prince of Benin Kingdom founded the Iwerre (Warri) Kingdom about 1480. In the 15th century Warri was visited by Portuguese missionaries. At the beginning of the 17th century, a son of the reigning Olu was sent to Portugal and returned with a Portuguese wife. Their son Antonio Domingo was Olu of Iwerre (Warri) in the 1640s.[1] Olu Erejuwa, who reigned from about 1720 to 1800, expanded Warri politically and commercially, using the Portuguese to further Warri's independence of Bini and to establish control over a wider area.[2]

Later Iwerre served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Iwerre became a more important port city during the late 19th century, when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins.[3] Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.[4]

Recent events

In 1997, the Federal Government under General Sani Abacha created a Warri South-West Local Government Council, with headquarters at Ogidigben, an Itsekiri settlement in Warri. Due to political pressure, the headquarters was relocated to Ogbe-Ijoh (an Ijaw settlement) by the Delta State House of Assembly but still not recognized by the Federal Government. Riots ensued, hundreds died, and six Shell Nigeria installations were taken over by youths. The crisis is known as the "Warri Crisis". [5]

Kings of Warri Kingdom, 1480 to present

The Kingdom of Warri has remained predominantly Christian since the coronation of its first Christian King Olu Atorongboye also known as King Sebastian I in 1570, within a century of the foundation of the iwerre Kingdom. Below is a list of the rulers of the Warri Kingdom from inception. Note that written records began with the coronation of Olu Atorongboye Sebastian I in 1570.

  • Queen Iye Idolorusan ruled the kingdom for a time in the nineteenth century, but seems never to have been formally designated a monarch.[6]

References
  1. J.O.S Ayomike. "Edo people's renaissance". Edo Nation. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  2. Gab Ejuwa (26 April 2009). "Olu of Warri Coronation – Focus On Itsekiri Cultural Heritage". Vanguard. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  3. http://www.greatestcities.com/Africa/Nigeria/Warri_city.htmlRetrieved 13 January 2008
  4. Ekeh, Peter Palmer (2005). Warri City and British Colonial Rule in Western Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. p. 31. ISBN 978-064-924-7.
  5. Manby, Bronwen (1999). Price of Oil: Corporate Responsibility and Human Rights Violations in Nigeria's Oil Producing Communities. Human Rights Watch. pp. 111–112. ISBN 1-56432-225-4.
  6. Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong; Mr. Steven J. Niven (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.

http://itsekiricanada.com/olu.php

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