Efunroye Tinubu was a powerful female political and economic figure in both Abeokuta and Lagos.
Born in Abeokuta in the early 1800s, she married and had two sons, but her husband passed away soon after.
In 1833, she remarried Adele, an exiled Oba of Lagos, and began to amass significant political and economic influence.
They moved to Badagry, where Tinubu built a thriving business empire by trading slaves for salt and tobacco with European merchants.
When Adele regained power in 1835, Tinubu returned to Lagos. He died two years later so she remarried Yesefu Bada, Adele’s military advisor.
She expanded her trading network to include palm oil and slaves. During the Yoruba Wars of the 1840s and 1850s, Tinubu increased her wealth by monopolising palm oil and slave trading, as well as selling weapons she obtained from European contacts.
Tinubu, the slave trader
Madam Tinubu played a key role in the war against Dahomey and was honoured with the title of Iyalode of Egbaland, the highest chieftaincy title for women.
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Her stance on slave trading is explored in her biography, Madame Tinubu: Merchant and Kingmaker, written by Nigerian historian Oladipo Yemitan.
One notable incident in her life involved the alleged sale of a young boy into slavery, which she denied.
Another, the Amadie-Ojo Affair, details a failed slave trade deal where she said she would rather let 20 slaves drown rather than collecting half payment for them.
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She also actively opposed colonial policies in Lagos and was deeply involved in king-making activities in Abeokuta, backing Prince Oyekan over Ademola for the title of Alake of Egbaland in 1879.
However, her influence waned after a confrontation with British Consul Benjamin Campbell, who opposed her economic dominance and covert slave trading.
Tinubu openly criticised Campbell for infringing on Lagos’s sovereignty. In May 1856, after a standoff involving British gunboats, Campbell sought her deportation. Despite her resistance, British military power forced her back to Abeokuta.
She died in 1887, and today, Tinubu Square on Lagos Island bears her name. After her death, ironically her slaves inherited her possessions.