In a historic move to mend decades-old divides, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has launched the maiden edition of the Warri Unity Games—declaring it an annual tradition to be held every first Saturday of his coronation anniversary week.
The monarch unveiled the initiative on Monday at the Federal Government College, Warri, addressing students, stakeholders, and guests in a stirring Facebook post that echoed with hope.
“Our beloved people, our honoured neighbours, our distinguished guests—we welcome you, with joy in our heart, to this first edition of the Warri Unity Games,” he proclaimed.
His vision? To prove that unity runs deeper than old grievances. “It is our hope… that these Games will reveal a simple truth: that far more unites us than divides us,” he said, urging all to rise above “past hurts, traumas, suspicions, and differences.”
Recalling his 2021 coronation pledge “not to prosper in isolation,” the Olu said the Games now give that promise a permanent home on the calendar.
But he didn’t shy away from painful history. He revisited the early 1990s, when a carnival for his late father’s anniversary spiraled into violence—devastation from which Warri has “yet to fully recover.” That crisis, he lamented, cost Warri its pioneering carnival glory, long before Calabar stole the spotlight.
Now, he’s taking charge. “This time, however, we will not sit and wait… We are taking the bull by the horns.”
From this reign forward, his coronation anniversaries will champion unity, peace, and prosperity—and the Unity Games are here to stay, bridging communal lines and breathing life into a kingdom ready to rise again.
