Further, she obtained a tract of land from Akitoye, which now constitutes part of the present-day Tinubu Square and Kakawa Street. Later, a conflict developed between Tinubu and some slave traders including Possu, a Kosoko loyalist. Possu and other traders tried to instigate an uprising against Akitoye because of Tinubu’s influence in Lagos. In the interest of peace, Benjamin Campbell, the British Consul in Lagos, asked Akitoye to exile Tinubu. After Akitoye died, Tinubu returned to Lagos and gave her support to his successor, Dosunmu.
Under Dosunmu’s reign, Tinubu had a massive security force composed of slaves and she sometimes executed orders usually given by the king. Dosunmu grew wary of her influence in Lagos. Consequently, Tinubu was alleged to have played a part in an uprising against the returnee Saro traders. In May 1856, Tinubu was banished to Abeokuta.
Life in Abeokuta
In Abeokuta, Madam Tinubu traded in arms and supplied Abeokuta with munition in the war against Dahomey. Her activities in the war earned her the chieftaincy title of the Iyalode of Egbaland. While in Abeokuta, she allegedly opposed colonial policies in Lagos. In 1865, a fire engulfed the shops of some traders including some of her properties in Abeokuta.
Tinubu became involved in Abeokuta kingmaking activities as well, supporting Prince Oyekan over Ademola for the Alake of Egbaland’s title in 1879.
Death and legacy
Tinubu died in 1887. Tinubu Square on Lagos Island, a place previously known as Independence Square, is named after her. Ita Tinubu (Tinubu’s precinct or Tinubu Square) had long been known by that name before the country’s independence, but it was renamed Independence Square by the leaders of the First Republic. She was buried at Ojokodo Quarters in Abeokuta.
Tinubu’s shrine
One of the legacies of Iyalode Tinubu is her shrine, located at Ojokodo’s Compound in Abeokuta North local Government. The shrine, which also housed a twin-tomb, was reinvented in 2014, during the 125th anniversary of the passing of Tinubu, by state government.
Listed as as one of the tourist sites in the state, Tinubu’s Shrine attracts thousands of visitors annually. Apart from tourists and students on excursions, people visit the shrine to perform atonement and offer sacrifices for their spiritual well-being.
The shrine, according to one of the grandsons of the wealthy and powerful woman, Nurudeen Tinubu, who also serves as the priest and custodian of the shrine, was a mud building constructed by Tinubu’s mother.
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