27/08/2025
Warri Crisis: LESSONS FROM 1992
STILL IGNORED
The recent crisis in Warri, triggered by ethnic processions and provocative songs, is not a new story. History shows that this pattern of confrontation has been repeating itself for decades.
A document dated 6th May 1992, signed by representatives of the Olu of Warri and the Warri Traditional Council, reveals how the same issue was handled 33 years ago. At that time, government intervened firmly banning carnival processions that involved derogatory songs or incitement against other ethnic groups.
The 1992 agreement was clear:
The Olu’s coronation anniversary was to remain a purely traditional festival with no claims of overlordship over other ethnic groups.
The carnival procession was to be peaceful, restricted to designated public highways.
No weapons, no molestation of citizens, no provocative songs against other groups.
Any breach of peace would be punished, with those responsible held accountable.
Yet, decades later, the same problem has resurfaced.
Those who marched in last week’s crisis were not even born in 1992. But they behaved exactly like their forebears did singing inflammatory songs and provoking confrontation. This continuity shows that the culture of provocation has been passed down, generation after generation.
The deeper question remains: why has government failed to enforce its own rules? In 1992, leadership acted decisively. Today, government lacks the will to go beyond ceasefire agreements. The result is a cycle of provocation, violence, and blame-shifting, with no lasting solution.
For the Urhobo in Warri, this raises a crucial lesson. Waiting for government intervention has proven fruitless. Successive administrations have lacked both the courage and the political will to resolve the territorial disputes that fuel these crises. Even the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), despite its cultural authority, has struggled to muster the resources to counter these repeated provocations.
This is why the Wado City advocacy was conceived—not as a cause of Warri’s crisis, but as a peaceful alternative to break free from a name that has brought only conflict. To “cut off” from a structure that perpetually pits communities against each other.
The truth is stark: if government wanted to solve this problem, it had the legal tools long ago. But inaction has left Urhobo communities vulnerable—even sacred spaces are now being attacked.
The way forward demands courage: mark your territories, assert your identity, and refuse to be dragged into endless cycles of provocation. History shows the problem is not new, and without bold action, it will not end.
