EFUNPOROYE Osuntinubu Olumosa, later known as Madam Efunroye Tinubu, was an astute businesswoman, kingmaker and the first woman to kick against British rule in Nigeria during the colonial era. She was a major figure in Lagos and Abeokuta (Egba) politics.
Born in 1810 in Ojokodo, currently in Ogun State, Tinubu remarried to Oba Adele Ajosun in 1833 after the death of her first husband. She moved with the exiled Oba to Badagry, which was the traditional place of refuge for Lagos monarchs.
At Badagry, she leveraged Adele’s connections and built a formidable business, dealing in tobacco, salt and slaves. Oba Adele was reinstated in 1835, but died two years after. Before his death, Tinubu had strengthened her trade with the expatriate community, the indigenous population of Lagos and Abeokuta, as well as other communities in Yoruba land.She later remarried Yesufu Bada, alias Obadina, who was Oba Oluwole’s war captain.
Tinubu had a great influence in the palace and contributed in making Akitoye, her brother-in-law, king after Oba Oluwole. In 1851, when Oba Akitoye was fully in charge of the throne, he granted Tinubu favourable commercial concessions, which made her to still trade in slaves for guns with Brazilians and Portuguese traders. She also obtained a tract of land from him, which now makes up part of the current Tinubu Square and Kakawa Street. Tinubu had so much influence over Akitoye that in 1853, two Lagos chiefs — Possu and Ajenia — rose in rebellion against him for giving Tinuba so much privilege.
With the ban on slave trade in the country, Tinubu put more efforts into internal trade, dealing in palm oil, salt, pepper and tobacco. By 1850, she was the leading middleman in the interior of Lagos.
Tinubu played prominent roles in installing and removing kings. She, however, supported Dosunmu, the son of Akitoye to ascend the throne in 1853. Under Dosunmu’s reign, Tinubu had a massive security force, composed of slaves and she sometimes executed orders usually given by the king.
In 1855, she led a campaign against the Brazilian and Sierra Leonean immigrants in Lagos for using their wealth and power against Dosunmu, and for subverting the customs of Lagos. The British Consul, Benjamin Campbell, felt threatened by Tinubus’s nationalistic acts and in 1856, instigated Dosunmu to expel Tinubu and her followers from Lagos to Abeokuta.
In Abeokuta, Tinubu identified with the United Board Management Government and expanded her business activities to include a wide range of wares, such as arms and ammunition. Her influence began to be felt in Abeokuta politics, when she contributed to the successful defence of the Egba town during the Dahomey invasion of 1863. For her support, she was given the title of Iyalode (first lady) in 1864. The title placed her in a position of power, which enabled her to boldly participate in Egba affairs.
Tinubu opposed colonial policies in Lagos. She was the first woman to play a proactive part in the resistance to British rule during the colonial period.
She died in 1887. Tinubu Square on Lagos Island, a place previously known as Independence Square, is named after her. She was buried at Ojokodo Quarters in Abeokuta.
Controversy had it that Madam Tinubu told a slave trader that “she would rather drown the slaves [20 in number] than sell them at a discount”.
She sold slaves to Brazilian and European merchants in violation of a 1852 treaty with Great Britain outlawing the slave trade in Lagos. Her economic hegemony over Lagos and secret slave trading resulted in her coming into conflict with the British, as well as other Lagos merchants. She was exiled to Abeokuta under British pressure after plotting an unsuccessful conspiracy to remove British influence from Lagos. While in Abeokuta, she helped supply the city with munition during its victorious war against the Kingdom of Dahomey, thus granting her the chieftancy title of Iyalode in her honour.
She died in Abeokuta in 1887. The landmark Tinubu Square in Lagos, Nigeria is named after her and also contains a statue of her. She also has a statue in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Source:
Wikipedia
The Guardian- Omiko Awa
Yorubaness
This statement may sound funny, provocative, or even offensive, but it raises an important question about priorities in marriage and religion.
A pastor is a spiritual leader, but he is not supposed to replace a woman’s husband. If a married woman consistently values her pastor’s opinions above her husband’s, obeys her pastor while dismissing her husband, or shows greater loyalty and admiration toward her pastor than toward her spouse, then something may be seriously wrong with the balance in that marriage.
Marriage requires communication, mutual respect, trust, and understanding. A pastor can provide spiritual guidance, but that guidance should not become a reason for a husband and wife to lose respect for each other.
At the same time, husbands should not expect their wives to obey them blindly. Both husband and wife should seek God’s wisdom, communicate openly, and make decisions with love and respect.
So perhaps the real question is not whether such a woman should become the pastor’s “second wife,” but why has the pastor become more important in her marriage than her own husband?
Put God first. Respect your spouse. And never allow a spiritual leader to become a substitute for your marriage partner.
This is a question worth asking—not to insult African traditions or dismiss anyone’s beliefs, but to encourage honest reflection.
Across Africa, it is common to hear people explain repeated family problems as a “generational curse.” When poverty, broken relationships, addiction, failure, sickness, family conflict or misfortune appears to repeat from one generation to another, some people immediately conclude that an ancestor, spiritual force or past wrongdoing is responsible.
But is every repeated family problem truly a curse?
If a child grows up in poverty, has limited access to quality education, receives little financial support and then struggles as an adult, is that necessarily a spiritual curse—or could it be the result of circumstances that have been passed from one generation to another?
If children grow up watching violence, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships or constant conflict, they may unknowingly repeat those patterns. That does not necessarily mean they are cursed. Sometimes behaviour is inherited through environment, not through supernatural forces.
And Africa is certainly not the only place where people believe in supernatural explanations for suffering or misfortune. Different societies around the world have their own concepts of inherited wrongdoing, family misfortune, ancestral consequences, fate and spiritual punishment.
So perhaps the more important question is not:
“Who cursed my family?”
But:
“What pattern has been passed down to me, and what can I do to stop passing it to the next generation?”
We should be careful not to use the idea of a curse to discourage people from taking action. A family facing poverty may need education, opportunity and financial planning. A family experiencing repeated conflict may need healthier communication. A person struggling with addiction may need professional support and a strong recovery environment. Communities facing injustice may need better institutions, accountability and opportunity.
Faith and spirituality are deeply meaningful to many people, and everyone has the right to hold their beliefs. But faith should not prevent us from examining the practical causes of our problems.
We cannot change the past, but we can change what we pass forward.
Instead of teaching our children that they are victims of an unavoidable family curse, let us also teach them knowledge, discipline, emotional strength, financial responsibility, education, healthy relationships and the courage to break destructive patterns.
Maybe the greatest “curse” is not something mysterious placed upon a family.
Maybe sometimes it is simply a problem that nobody stopped long enough to understand and change.
And the greatest inheritance we can give the next generation is not fear of a curse—but the knowledge and courage to build a better future.
There is nothing wrong with speaking English fluently. In fact, being able to communicate confidently in different languages is a valuable skill. But we should ask ourselves a deeper question: while learning to speak the language of another culture, are we slowly losing the language that connects us to our own roots?
Your mother tongue is more than just words. It carries the stories of your ancestors, the wisdom of your grandparents, the jokes that only your people understand, the traditional greetings, the names, the songs, the history and the identity of your community.
Imagine being able to speak perfect English, but struggling to have a simple conversation with your own grandmother because you do not understand the language she grew up speaking. Imagine your children knowing foreign languages but being unable to understand the language of their own heritage.
That should make us pause.
Speaking English does not make you more intelligent, and speaking your indigenous language does not make you less educated. One is a communication skill; the other can be a connection to your heritage. We should not have to choose between being educated and preserving our identity.
Learn English. Speak it confidently. Learn French, Dutch, Spanish or any other language that opens doors for you.
But don’t let the pursuit of foreign languages close the door to your own.
Teach your children your language. Speak it at home. Ask your parents and grandparents to teach you the words you never learned. If you have forgotten it, it is never too late to start again.
Because when a language disappears from a family, something precious disappears with it.
Be proud of your education. Be proud of your ability to speak English. But also be proud of where you come from.
Your language is not something to be ashamed of. It is a part of your story. Preserve it before the next generation only knows it as something their ancestors once spoke.