This discourse is meant to state certain facts and correct certain notions concerning Warri and Asaba, the two major cities in Delta State. Most people in South-Western and Northern Nigeria may likely argue with someone who says Asaba is the capital of Delta state. This error, however, is with good reason. The media and the majority of Deltans are quick to identify with Warri for one reason or another and thereby exude the image that Warri is the “happening place” in Delta state. Consequential to this, people believe that any “happening city” that receives a whole lot of attention is most likely the capital city. This is true of Port-Harcourt, Benin City, Ilorin, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Owerri, Calabar, Maiduguri, Jos, etc. These cities are the most developed in their various states and can be seen to be the “happening places” there. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that they are the capital cities.
However, in Delta State, the story is different. The old Delta province of the then Bendel state started their clamour for their own independent state in the then Babangida military junta. This clamour coincided with the Anioma agitation for their state as well. The Anioma region comprises Aniocha(Issele-Uku and Ogwashi-Uku), Ndokwa(Ukwuani), Ika(Agbor) and Oshimili(Asaba) from which the acronym “ANIOMA” is derived from. The term means “Good Land” in Ibo. The Delta region comprises the Urhobo land, Itsekiri land, Isoko land and Izon land. These ethnic groups have been neighbours since time immemorial. The Delta region sees Warri as their melting pot. They are all amply represented in Warri and the place is centre to their various locations. Hence it is no doubt that it was adopted as a proposed capital city. The Anioma region proposed Asaba as their capital city for reasons best known to them.
Babangida, in response to their various requests, created an anomaly of sorts in trying to pacify both regions. He created the proposed Delta state of the old Delta province and merged it with the proposed Anioma state and took the capital to Asaba. In an act that Babangida thought would pacify the people, bad blood was eventually spilt. The people of the old Delta province began to develop reservations to the location of the capital city at Asaba because for one, it is too far from Warri and in fact, it is closer to Onitsha in Anambra state than it is to any Deltan location. However, what is done is done. The people lived with it and hoped for the best even though some others spoke out against it in the strongest of terms. Attention began to shift from Warri to Asaba slowly even though development never ended in Warri. Warri, being an oil city and the location of almost all the oil companies in the state, received development at the highest levels. It matched with Asaba in everything. For the fact that the governors of Delta state had since been people from the old Delta province, Warri had always been a centre of development. Nothing is done in Asaba that isn’t replicated in Warri. In fact, the Aniomas started to suspect foul play that Warri is being developed at the expense of Asaba. The governors did little or nothing to quell their agitations. That was when it became obvious that they really had to breakout and sail with the Anioma state ship before their political domination becomes a tragedy of sorts.
Today, many people are of the opinion that Asaba is merely a paper capital and that Warri is the real capital of Delta State. They may not be far from right. The truth is that Warri will always be at the mind of people from the old Delta province and they will always push the frontiers of development in this oil city as long as they are in power and as long as peace is to be sustained in Delta state. This is why Warri rings out even louder than Asaba. Some of the recent developments in Warri that translates into political domination over Asaba include the Federal University of Petroleum Resources which is sited in Effurun, the Petroleum Training Institute also in Effurun, Delta State College of Education in Warri, the newly completed Shoprite complex in Effurun, the state headquarters of Chevron, NNPC, etc all in Warri, Delta Rainbow Television in Warri, Golden Tulip Cinema Effurun, Osubi Airport, the completion of a fly over bride in Effurun and several other things too numerous to mention. In Asaba, we have the state secretariat, Delta Broadcasting Corporation, A campus of Delta State University, Federal College of Education, a flyover bridge, Asaba international airport and government ministries amongst others. It is glaringly obvious that Warri competes and, I daresay, beats Asaba in terms infrastructural development and social life. This would have been a good thing if not that there are aggrieved parties in this. It is perfectly normal to have even ten cities that are well developed but in all cases, the capital must stand out. However, that is untrue in Delta state.
Some people have cast their judgements thus; Asaba is the political capital of Delta State whereas Warri is the socio-economic capital of the state. It is a balance of equation for all parties, aggrieved or not. While the Deltans within the Warri province are unhappy with the location of the capital at Asaba, the Aniomas are irked with the attention at Warri at the expense of Asaba. Can we call this a win-win situation?
In the just concluded elections, an Anioma son has emerged as the governor of this multi-ethnic political entity called Delta State. It is a celebration of sorts to the Anioma people who hope that Asaba will now receive its true place as capital. Many who are of this opinion do not realise that the governor-elect is from Agbor, another budding city close to Asaba and which is in need of development. Furthermore, they still do not realise that the governor-elect must replicate whatever he does in Asaba in Warri for the sake of PEACE! This is the dilemma of a state called Delta. A state where there are two capitals. A state where the governor must give double contracts for the exact same thing in other to ease tension, a state where the people are lurking, waiting and watching for a mistake of intent.



Mathias Iroro Orhero, a literary critic and lecturer at the Kwara State College of Education, writes from Warri, Delta State.

Insert Pictures:

1. Map of Delta State


2. Warri Airport

3. Asaba Airport

4. Asaba city view


5. Warri City view

The agitation for delta state did not start during the Babangida regime as postulated in this write-up.

The land procured at Osubi for the creation of the Delta state capital is still state government property till date.

Request for a Delta state, with a capital around Warri/ Effurun and Osubi axis was already in existence in the 70s.

The Itsekiri's opposed the the citing of the state capital at anywhere near Warri, fearing it will reduce the dominance of the Olu and also force them to lose land to the state.

And for correction, Babangida chose Asaba as state capital because his wife was from Asaba, that was the genesis of the bad blood towards Asaba. A place like Kwale would have been far better than Asaba as state capital.

ogb5:
The agitation for delta state did not start during the Babangida regime as postulated in this write-up.

The land procured at Osubi for the creation of the Delta state capital is still state government property till date.

Request for a Delta state, with a capital around Warri/ Effurun and Osubi axis was already in existence in the 70s.

The Itsekiri's opposed the the citing of the state capital at anywhere near Warri, fearing it will reduce the dominance of the Olu and also force them to lose land to the state.

Thanks for your enlightening opinion.

ogb5:
The agitation for delta state did not start during the Babangida regime as postulated in this write-up.

The land procured at Osubi for the creation of the Delta state capital is still state government property till date.

Request for a Delta state, with a capital around Warri/ Effurun and Osubi axis was already in existence in the 70s.

The Itsekiri's opposed the the citing of the state capital at anywhere near Warri, fearing it will reduce the dominance of the Olu and also force them to lose land to the state.

Thanks for your enlightening opinion. However, when I said clamour for Delta state started in the Babangida regime, I actually meant it was at its peak. Maybe I'll change the language I used there to make it less ambiguous.

The moral of the story is??
What is wrong in having a state capital and a commercial capital, afterall many non Nigerians think Lagos is our capital, Umuahia is d capital of Abia state while Aba is more developed and more populated likewise Awka and Onitsha being the state and the commercial capitals of Anambra.
Irrespective of the political undertone, I like what is happening in Delta, let there be a developed Asaba and a developed Warri to reduce overpopulation in major cities.

ovadoze:
The moral of the story is??
What is wrong in having a state capital and a commercial capital, afterall many non Nigerians think Lagos is our capital, Umuahia is d capital of Abia state while Aba is more developed and more populated likewise Awka and Onitsha being the state and the commercial capitals of Anambra.
Irrespective of the political undertone, I like what is happening in Delta, let there be a developed Asaba and a developed Warri to reduce overpopulation in major cities.

The article is a historical one. It needs not have any morals. ALOT of people are not aware of the Delta phenomenon. This is what prompted my writeup. Im not trying to compare or unearth reservations sir. I just like educating people who so which to be educated. You may see my previous posts to get a grasp of what I do.

atlwireles:
Another useless thread.

To you maybe. But I dont blame you for that. There ALWAYS something to learn from every useless thing.

asaba yeah capital of those who believe in anioma .


it is partitioned based on ethnic preferences .



asaba is anioma capital . take it or leave it . drop it or live by it .

TRIBALSTOOGE:
asaba yeah capital of those who believe in anioma .


it is partitioned based on ethnic preferences .



asaba is anioma capital . take it or leave it . drop it or live by it .

This is exactly why I wrote this article.

literarymathy:


Please goto a library, pick up a book and READ!

If you ever read one, you will not open this thread.

atlwireles:


If you ever read one, you will not open this thread.

Oh! I read and thats why I WRITE! See my profile and read more articles. I strongly advise you to.

If Nigeria wasn't a zoo, you wouldn't even care about this because everywhere would develop to suit its capacity.

ezeagu:
If Nigeria wasn't a zoo, you wouldn't even care about this because everywhere would develop to suit its capacity.

That's true. However, you'd agree with me that for now, it's not bad to write an article about it. Atleast so that others can learn. No knowledge is wasted.

yes tribal stooge is here i am back to keep spitting back to you .when you talk poo .



back to sender .

atlwireles:



Like I said, invite your fellow tribalists, deltans have grown pass your crap. Wits Keep your NL wits.

There's no NL wits here. I'm a professional writer. I only post my articles on nairaland so that they may reach a wider audience. I do not understand why people like you are envious and at the offensive against writers. Maybe its a psychological problem. Maybe you've had a terrible childhood and need some form of psychoanalysis by Carl Jung.

literarymathy:


There's no NL wits here. I'm a professional writer. I only post my articles on nairaland so that they may reach a wider audience. I do not understand why people like you are envious and at the offensive against writers. Maybe its a psychological problem. Maybe you've had a terrible childhood and need some form of psychoanalysis by Carl Jung.

invite your fellow tribalist and spare us, your noise.

atlwireles:


invite your fellow tribalist and spare us, your noise.

I'll just laugh it off here because this is getting too long and you are adamant to state your problem. I sense that you are among those who bash anyone who is in an inkling better than you are.

Warri will always be the capital of delta state asaba is the capital of ANIOMA or delta igbos

Op, nice one....





#I rep Aniocha North(Issele-Uku)



#I rep 053

To me it is a win win situation.

eaglechild:
To me it is a win win situation.

How is it such sir?

Nice write up Op, the senerio is a win win for both asaba and warri. Let's hope the new governor can calm all fraid nerves with his ten mega city masterplan . Delta needs more development and better interconnectivity between the major towns.


Please next time simply ignore detractors who obviously have nothing positive to add.

OOook

mikigen:
Warri will always be the capital of delta state asaba is the capital of ANIOMA or delta igbos

we all know that babangida made asaba the state capital because of maryam. Warri will always be the captial no matter the sit of power

@OP delta has gone beyond this..