Warri

Warri was once a provincial capital to British rule. The Lagos and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was formally united as Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria on 28 February 1906 and Walter Egerton was appointed as the Governor of new Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria, holding office until 1912.[3] In the new Southern Nigeria, the old Lagos Colony became the Western Province, and the former Southern Nigerian Protectorate was split into a Central Province with capital at Warri and an Eastern Province with capital at Calabar.

Warri sits on the bank of River Warri which joined River Forcados and River Escravos 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. The city's 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 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.[2]

Warri was then established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.[3] There have been a tremendous growth in the population; it has grown from being a rural area to an urban area.

Warri is regarded as a modern metropolitan area with expanded infrastructural development in other local government areas such as Uvwie, Udu, and Okpe in recent years, with various road networks linking these places into one. Each of these areas has its own administrative structure.

The major people in Warri are the Urhobo, Ijaws and Itsekiris; However, due to its urban status, there is a large influx of people from all over the country, most notably the Igbos.

The region experiences moderate rainfall and moderate humidity for most part of the year. The climate is monsoonal and is 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 winds. The rainy season spans May to October with a brief dry spell in August, but it frequently rains even in the dry season. The area is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate with mean annual temperature of 32.8 °C and annual rainfall amount of 2768.8 mm. There are high temperatures of 28 °C and 32 °C. The natural vegetation is of rain forest with swamp forest in some areas. The forest is rich in timber trees, palm trees, as well as fruit trees.

There is the Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals located at Ekpan 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. Delta Steel Company located at Aladja and Otorogu Gas Plants at Otor-Udu, near Warri.

After the crisis in 1999, it made most of the oil companies relocate out of the town

There are various institutions of higher learning sited within the Warri Metropolis:

• [[Federal University of Petroleum Resource Effurun (FUPRE)
• Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) at Effurun
• College of Education at Edjeba, Warri
• The Delta State Nursing School, Ogunu, Warri
• Eagle Heights University, Omadino, Warri
• Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko, Warri

Primary schools in Warri are:

• Ogiame Primary School, Warri.
• Ikengbuwa Primary School, Warri.
• Cavagina Primary School, Warri.
• Twin Fountain Group of Schools
• HillTop
• International Unity School (IUS)
• NNPC Staff Primary School
• SNAPS
• Alderstown School for the Deaf
• Kids Compute Academy and alot others.

Secondary schools are also in numbers in the city of Warri. Some of these include:

• Yonwuren Secondary School, Warri
• College of Education Demonstration Secondary School, Warri
• Twin Fountain Group of Schools
• Cambridge International School
• Delta Careers College
• Federal Government College
• Hussey College, Warri
• Nana College, Warri
• Dom Domingos College, Warri
• Delta Secondary School, Warri
• Dore Numa College, Warri
• Essi College, Warri
• Uwangue College, Warri
• Urhobo College, Effurun
• Classical International Schools
• Ugborikoko Secondary School
• Army Day Secondary School, Effurun
• College of Commerce Warri
• DSC Technical High School, Ovwian-Aladja
• Our Lady's High School, Effurun
• Mega Stars Christian School, Udu.

There are investment opportunities in the tourism sector within Warri and in nearby towns. Abraka is just one of these towns, a favourite destination for domestic and international tourists. It is just 30 minutes away from Warri by car. The Abraka beach is famous for its natural flowing spring water, and has sports and recreational facilities for outdoor activities like canoeing, fishing, swimming, barbecue, and picnicking. Hotels abound in the city of Warri. Of note is the Wellington Hotels and Suites in Effurun which is easily accessible at the East-West Road, Golden Tulip Hotels which houses Silverbird Cinemas, 5 Star Hotel Excel, Ishaka Hotel both on Refinery Road among others.

There are various tourist sites to visit while in Warri:[9]

• Nana Living History Museum
• Red Mangrove swamp
• Falcorp Mangrove Park / Mini Zoo, Ijala, Behind Warri Refinery.
• Warri Township Stadium
• Delta Shopping Mall (Shoprite)
• Gemstone ultramart
• Shell club, Ogunu

Notable Nigerian ministers from Warri include Ayo Oritsejafor and Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin.

• Charity Ogbenyealu Adule, footballer.
• Demas Akpore (1928–1993), first elected Deputy Governor of Bendel State (1979–1983)
• Emmanuel Uduaghan, governor of Delta state 2007–2015.
• Erigga, musician

• Abraka
• Asaba, Delta
• Agbassa
• Delta State
• Effurun
• Eku, Delta
• Ughelli
• Railway stations in Nigeria

ref name=Vanguard(Nigeria)>"20 years after collapse, steel company resumes operations". Vanguard (Nigeria). 5 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018. ref name=Vanguard(Nigeria)>"20 years after collapse, steel company resumes operations". Vanguard (Nigeria). 5 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.