If Warri person stroke you , na to cry. All man dey naturally witty.
Today, Warri boys stand on comedy stages in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg — filling halls, making money, turning our rough edges into laughter that travels across continents.
Yet back home, the city that birthed this brilliance is still struggling to light its own stage. Warri remains underdeveloped — its roads tired, its industries quiet, its youth restless. The capital of wit has not yet become the capital of progress.
It came time to create states, and we believed development was about to land. Warri even stretched its hand, ready to hold the crown. But then fear and quarrels spoke louder than unity. Some whispered that if Warri became the capital, it would be overrun. Some say Madam Maryam Ndidi Okogwu-Babangida gently guided the newborn state to her hometown, Asaba. And so it was done.
But what did Warri become the capital of? Oil contracts? Security jobs? Court cases over land? Or perhaps — comedy itself. For it is easier now to laugh about Warri than to build in it.
Prophecy or Self-Preservation?
The elders may have seen far. They feared their identity would vanish under the weight of newcomers. Perhaps they were right — Asaba has lived that tension. Yet, in protecting ourselves, did we not also lose something vital?
Development enter Asaba.
We preserved our land, yes, but the steady rhythm of development walked elsewhere.
Warri cannot remain the city where talent departs and only echoes remain. The same energy that makes comedians thrive abroad can build industries at home. The same wit that survives hardship can design new futures.
To do this, we must:
• Reclaim Vision: Leaders must see beyond land disputes and security contracts to the possibility of Warri as a hub of innovation.
• Invest in People: Education, technology, creative industries — not just oil pipelines — must define the city’s future.
• Harness Our Humor: Comedy is not just laughter; it is truth-telling. Let the sharp tongue of Warri speak vision into power.
Warri’s story is not finished. It may have missed the first crown, but a second crown waits — not handed by decree, but earned through unity and vision.
Until then, we console ourselves with laughter. After all, only Warri can turn pain into punchlines. Our own gospel-singer-turned-comedian, Godwin Komone — better known as Gordons Berlusconi — has become the major distributor of Urhobo culture lately. If Warri can’t be capital of the state, at least it is capital of comedy, exporting humor wholesale without import duties.
But one day, perhaps, Warri itself will laugh again — not in irony, but in triumph.
How una see am ?
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