Efunroye Tinubu

Efunroye Tinubu (wey dem bon araund 1810 and she kpai for 1887), wey her real nem na Ẹfúnpọ̀róyè Ọ̀ṣuntinúbú, na one strong Yoruba wuman wey bi big madam, trader, an slave dealer for di taim bifor an di taim of colonial govment for Naija.

Shi bi important pesin for politis an biznes for Legos wen Oba Adele Dosunmu Oluwole an Akitoye dey rul. Shi hep Oluwole an Akitoye get pawa as Oba. Tinubu mari Oba Adele, an shi uze di konecshon wey shi get fom di marriage to stat big trade biznes wit European pipu. Shi dey trade slaves, tobacco, salt, cotton, palm oil, coconut oil, an guns. Dem tok sey shi get up to 360 pasonal slaves.

Tinubu an British Wahala

After British pipu win di war wey dem kol "Reduction of Lagos,” dem remov Oba Kosoko fom throne an put Akitoye as Oba bikos Tinubu sopot Akitoye. Di British mek Akitoye ssign treaty for 1852 wey tok sey Legos pipu no go do slave trade again. But Tinubu no gree stop. Shi stil dey du di biznes dey sel slaves to Brazilian an European traders, and Akitoye no do enitin to stop her.

Di British consul for Lagos, Benjamin Campbell, no lik hau Tinubu dey kontrol trade for Lagos and hau shi dey secretly sel slaves. Bikos of dis, Tinubu an di British pipu get big wahala. Shi stil faight wit oda Lagos traders. Wen Oba Dosunmu kom tek ova fom Akitoye, Campbell pressure am to send Tinubu komot for Lagos bikos shi try plan secret muve to stop British pawa for Lagos an even trai to kil Campbell. Dosunmu send her go Abeokuta.

For Abeokuta, Tinubu hep di pipu get guns during their war with Dahomey, and bikos of dis, dem give am chieftaincy title as Iyalode of Egbaland, wey mean say shi bi leader of all Egba wuman. Tinubu kpai for Abeokuta for 1887. Today, one famous place for Lagos wey dem call Tinubu Square kari her name. Shi get statue for Lagos and Abeokuta too.

Tinubu’s Early Life

Tinubu kom fom Ojokodo forest for Egbaland. Her papa nem na Olumosa, and dem tok sey her family get Owu roots, weda fom her papa or mama saide. Shi mari plenti taimes. Her first husband na Owu man, an dem bon two sons togeda. Wen her Owu husband kpai, shi mari Oba Adele Ajosun for 1833. Dem tok sey wen Oba Adele kom Abeokuta, Tinubu use juju catch am. Shi folo Adele go Badagry, wey be the place wey Lagos Obas dey run go when dem no fit stay Lagos. For Badagry, Tinubu uze Adele konnection to gro her trade business, wey include tobacco, salt, and slaves.

Afta Adele kpai, Tinubu sopot Oluwole (Adele pikin) to bi Oba instead of Kosoko. Oluwole an Kosoko no gree, an Kosoko dey klaim sey na him sopos bi Oba. Bikos of this, Kosoko vex and dem banish am go Ouidah. Tinubu leta mari Yesufu Bada, wey bi Oluwole war chief, and her business for Egbaland gro wel with Oluwole sopot.

Tinubu for Lagos

When Oba Adele stil dey Badagry, Oba Idewu wey dey Lagos throne kpai. Prince Kosoko, wey be brother to Oba Idewu, wan tek ova di throne, but Eletu Odibo, wey bi kingmeka stop Kosoko an invite Adele to kom bak as Oba. Tinubu folo Adele return Lagos, but Adele kpai two years leta for 1837.

Wen Oluwole kpai for 1841, Tinubu sopot Akitoye (Adele broda) to bi Oba instead of Kosoko. Wen Akitoye bi Oba, he giv Tinubu beta biznes opportunity. But leta, Akitoye wan settle wit Kosoko an invite am bak to Lagos. Kosoko no gree, and e later chase Akitoye komot for throne. As Tinubu dey sopot Akitoye, shi an oda pipu wey folo Akitoye run go Badagry wen Kosoko bi Oba for 1845.

For Badagry, Tinubu uze her money and pawa to trai gada pipu to fight Kosoko. For December 1851, British pipu bomb Lagos, remuv Kosoko, an put Akitoye bak as Oba. Akitoye saign agreement wit British sey slave trade no go dey again, but Tinubu no gree. Shi stil dey secretly sel slaves to Brazilian an Portuguese pipu to kolet guns.

Tinubu get land for Lagos wey later become Tinubu Square an Kakawa Street. But because Tinubu too get pawa for Lagos, British consul Benjamin Campbell tok sey mek Akitoye send her komot. Afta Akitoye kpai, Tinubu return Lagos an sopot Dosunmu. But Dosunmu leta fear Tinubu pawa bikos shi get plenti slaves an dey kontrol tins lik king. British pipu dey sopot pipu wey return fom Brazil an Sierra Leone (dem dey kol dem Saro and Aguda), an dem stat Lagos trade.

For 1855, wen Campbell travu go England, Tinubu trai konvince Dosunmu to reduce the pawa of pipu wey return, but Dosunmu no gree. Leta, Tinubu hosband, Yesufu Bada, join one fight against pipu wey return. Wen Campbell return for 1856, he force Dosunmu to banish Tinubu go Abeokuta.

Tinubu for Abeokuta

For Abeokuta, Tinubu stat trade arms and hep di Egba pipu faight Dahomey kingdom. Bikos of her hep for di war, dem giv am title Iyalode of Egbaland. Tinubu stil dey oppose British policies for Lagos even as shi dey Abeokuta. For 1865, fire destroy som of her shops an properti, but dis no stop hau shi get moni rish.

Tinubu stil dey insaid king mata for Abeokuta. For 1879, shi sopot Prince Oyekan to bi Alake of Egbaland instead of Ademola. Dem tok sey shi mari one Arabic scholar, Momoh Bukar, and Momoh pikin leta dey uze her nem, Tinubu.

Tinubu and Slave Trade

Tinubu no stop slave trade even wen British pipu dey fors Lagos to stop am. One taime for Abeokuta, shi sel one smol boi as slave, and wen dem kol her for question, shi tok say: "I get big famili, I need money to feed dem wel, na why I sell slave.”

Another taime for 1853, wen one slave trade deal no go wel, Tinubu tel one trader sey: “I go prefer mek I drown di slaves dan sel dem for cheap price.”

Death an Legacy

Tinubu kpai for Abeokuta for 1887. Dem beri ha for Ojokodo quarters for Abeokuta. Tinubu Square for Lagos Island, wey dem first call Independence Square, na her nem e carry. Her statue still dey Lagos and Abeokuta til today.