Sitting majestically in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria’s business and financial engine-room Tinubu Square, named after Madam Efunroye Tinubu, over the century, has evolved various identities for itself. But who was Tinubu and why was an important landmark named after her? Seun Akioye investigates.
The security guard stood at attention behind the massive gates of Tinubu Square in the heart of Lagos Island. He was a short, tickly built youth, black as soot with dazzling, yet inquiring eyes. Aside the reflective jacket and the baseball cap which indicated he belonged to “Hercules Security,” nothing else suggested his profession.
The small umbrella he was holding barely protected him from the rain which has increased in intensity in the last three minutes. He had the unenviable task of protecting the newly renovated Tinubu Square from miscreants and other intruders.
For the unversed, nothing distinguishes Tinubu Square from the legion of houses, skyscrapers and shops in the Central Business District (CBD) on Lagos Island. On a regular day, car hooting, the noise of roadside merchants selling boxers, socks and other male and female undergarments and the frenetic activities of members of the Lagos Island Traffic Monitoring Team are the perfect distractions from the tranquillity provided by the Square.
As the massive gates are flung open-by the security guard after much cajoling-a picture reminiscent of paradise evolved. Over 20 species of plants and flowers are neatly arranged in perfect order along the neatly paved lawns. The 2,000 square meter ground is divided into compartments. One section served as the security house where staff who are in the employ of Hercules Security have their office, another section has the podium where speeches of historical proportion can be made and there is the section which housed the fountain.
The Square itself is replete with history and when one stands in the middle of it, the historical richness comes roaring past. It has played prominent roles in the history of Lagos and its development. According to a historian, Vaughan Richards, Tinubu Square, by 1890, was the heart of Lagos itself. It was the location of the first court of justice which was replaced in 1918 by the Supreme Court or the Court of the Assizes, which was a magnificent structure.
The Square was the melting point of different cultures, a place where the indigenous Lagosians, those of Brazilian extract and the colonial administration met. In Pre-colonial Nigeria, the Square was where several streets met and, according to historical writings, a popular station for municipal transportation.
The Square has undergone changes from one generation to the other, each one obliterating the architectural layout of the preceding one. Today, two fountains-one big, the other smaller-have replaced the “magnificent” Court of the Assizes. The fountain, a gift from the Lebanese community in Lagos to Nigeria to mark the country’s independence in 1960, has also undergone tremendous make-over. It seems that the architects of the current structure are determined to make it compliant with 21st Century architectural designs. Nothing reminds the present generation of the way the Square used to be even as recent as the last century.
The Tinubu Square today is iron-fenced with generous openings for tourists to behold the beautiful landscape. By the western strips is a beautiful inscription of the name ‘Tinubu Square,’ sitting on two iron rods backing the bigger fountain. When one looks at it from the street, several skyscrapers housing various business interests in the CBD merged into the skyline. Inside the fountain, four big birds-with wings flapping in the water-were erected on the three layers of round stone spiral stairs.
The water from the big fountain flows directly like a channel into the smaller fountain creating a labyrinth. Somehow, one gets the feeling that the cool breeze came directly from this artificial lake. The water was sparkling clean and the fountain itself was neat.
Another precious resource at the Square is marble which paved the lawns and some had statue sitting on them. These add to the beauty of the landscape. Madam Efunroye Tinubu’s statue stood on a cenotaph at the northern fringe of the Square. It was tall and dominated the environment. The statue conveyed the impression of a regal and powerful woman. Her face was well chiseled; giving her facial features such a formidable appearance. On her right hand she held a horsetail which she pointed towards heaven and on her left hand, she clutched a semi-circle wand which denotes authority. She had an expensive looking shawl over her shoulder; two dropping earrings and shoes completed her cosmopolitan appearance. Save for the horsetail and the shawl, Madam Tinubu looked every inch a 21st Century woman.
Tinubu Square has an international reputation. A search on the internet via Google revealed several companies using the name. One is a credit risk solutions company based in the United Kingdom which says it helps “reduce your cost and improve efficiency.” Such is the reputation of Tinubu Square.
Meeting Madam Tinubu
Tinubu Square, named after one of the most industrious and powerful figures in the 19th Century Nigeria was once known as Ita Tinubu long before independence. It was renamed Independence Square by leaders of Nigeria’s First Republic before it was changed to its original name by subsequent administrations in Lagos. There are fantastic tales told of the exploits of Tinubu, her contributions to commerce, politics and power in Lagos, Badagry and Abeokuta; her birthplace.
Born in 1805 in Ijakodo, Gbagura in Abeokuta, her grandmother Osunsola was a successful trader in herbs, roots and animal skin. Tinubu’s mother, Nijeede was also indoctrinated into the family trade early and it was on one of those trading expeditions that Tinubu was born right inside the canoe. Nijeede named her new child Osuntinubu; indicating she was given to her by the goddess Osun while her father named her Efunporoye.
Her destiny seemed written in the stars. Tinubu followed in the business of her mother and became successful. She married a man from Owu and had two young sons. But in 1821, war broke out and she lost her husband and mother shortly after moving to Abeokuta to escape the war. In 1833, she accepted the proposal of Lagos Prince, Adele and moved to live with him in Badagry where malaria claimed the lives of her two sons.
This, however, did not deter her as she began trading in salt and tobacco from Abeokuta to Badagry. She also expanded her business to become a middleman to the European slave traders. It was here that she met King Akintoye who had been exiled by his nephew Kosoko from Lagos in 1846. Now, a dealer in arms and ammunition, she provided the Akintoye army with enough firepower that they were able to defeat the forces of Kosoko which was commanded by Chief Oshodi. In 1851, Akintoye regained the throne of Lagos and Tinubu moved to Lagos.
For Tinubu, Lagos was a perfect opportunity for her to become the intermediary in the trade between Lagos and Abeokuta; thus becoming wealthy and powerful. She also willingly stopped trading in slaves when she understood the wretched life Europeans subjected the slaves into. She thereafter became a fierce opponent to slavery which gave her enormous goodwill.
She was often accused of being the power behind the throne of King Akintoye. Her influence continued with King Dosunmu who took the throne in 1853 and it was this time that she came to the attention of the British colonial administration. Thus, when, in 1855 she led a campaign against the Brazilian and Sierra Leonean immigrants who wanted to subvert the throne and culture of Lagos, the British responded by mass arrests and deportation of Tinubu and her followers to Abeokuta.
But that did not stop her political and economic influence. Soon, she became a voice in Egba politics and, using her wealth and influenc, she helped in the defense of the city from the Dahomean invasion of 1863; thus earning her the title of Iyalode. Tinubu’s economic empire consisted majorly of real estate and trading. In Abeokuta, she had a large farm in Ita Iyalode–a monument much like Tinubu Square stands there today- and her real estate in Lagos transcends Lagos Island to Idi-Oro in Mushin, Papa Ajao, Igbobi and Idi Araba. Her kolanut farm was reputed to have been the site of the present day Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
On December 1, 1887, Tinubu fell ill and on the afternoon of the following day, she died. She was buried at her maternal compound in Ojokodo, Gbagura in accordance to her orders. Today, an inscription at her cenotaph described her as “irrepressible opponent of slave trade and the British colonial government.”
The Square that defines Lagos
For generations of Lagosians, the Square has always been there. Though there have been changes in architecture and layout, it has remained a major melting point for cultures. Olatunde Ojulari remembers where he was in 1985 when the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria won the maiden U-17 World Cup in China. It was fresh in his memory as he pointed to several landmarks which defined the landscape of Tinubu Square.
“When Nigeria won the World Cup in 1985, I remember that all of us trooped out from all the streets surrounding this place and came to celebrate in the square. Some of us children climbed the stones and played in the water. The older ones stood around and it was as if everyone had the same mind to come to the fountain to celebrate,” Ojulari, 39 years who now works as a traffic officer for the local council said.
He remembers the Square as beautiful but has been made more worthy by the administration of former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For him, the Square was a meeting place to discuss politics, sports and current affairs.
“We used to come here in the 1980s. I was living on Alli Street and it was not like this then. There was no fence and that fountain was standing on a three-step stone. We used to climb on it to drink from the water. It was common those days to say you are going to drink from Tinubu’s fountain,” he said.
Seventy-seven-year-old Salisu Yussuf had been selling used books beside the Square for more than 30 years. When our correspondent met him, he had just resumed at his customary post just by the northern tip of the Square. The rain had prevented him from making the early morning sales. Now, at mid-day, he had a sad look on his face as he arranged his books on the floor.
“I have been here for more than 30 years. Before independence, there was a court here. But after they demolished it and built this fountain. Then there was no fence here. It was just the fountain. All around here were houses and this place was open. But this new fountain was done during Bola Tinubu’s time. He had to do it as he is a member of the family.”
Rebuilding Tinubu Square
The enviable position occupied by the Square today came at a cost. Former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu had to invest several millions into turning it into an architectural masterpiece. Even though the Square is yet to be opened to the public-Office of Facility Maintenance and Management is upgrading facilities-it is already attracting tourists; especially from outside Nigeria.
“White people usually come here and take pictures. Also when people do wedding in this church (Methodist Church of the Trinity), they usually take all their pictures inside. Sometimes school children also come here for excursion,” a youth who works as a money changer opposite the Square said.
But the edifice itself meant very little to those who ply their trade around it, same for Madam Tinubu. Our correspondent conducted a random sampling to know if Lagosians understand the importance of Madam Tinubu and got interesting opinions.
“Iya Tinubu, her statue is inside there, is she not the mother of Iyaloja Mogaji,” Amina Bello asked. To Alao Ganiyu who sells male undergarments, Tinubu might have been one of the 21st Century political figures. “ Awon mama niyen, awon iya tiwa leko niyen.(She was a correct woman. She was one of our mothers in Lagos). She was a good woman when she was alive. She helped the poor people,” he said.
Other residents and traders said she was a wonderful woman who did well while she lived, otherwise how will her statue occupy such an important place in Lagos? It is instructive to note that none of them came close to identifying Tinubu for what she stood and fought for. For many of them, business of the day was more important than talks about the Square.
“There is a man who comes here, we call him Baba Eko and he knows the history of this place. But he is a little mad and if you can find him, he will tell you the history you need for your school project,” Ganiyu counseled.
The rain had stopped and business activities resumed. Street sellers mounted the sidewalks and right in from of the Square a Pay-Per-View TV retailer opened her umbrella and began to display her products. Behind her, a vendor spread his newspapers while other small scale businesses took position at vantage angles in front of the edifice.
“The traders used to disturb us, when they finish selling; they turn the front lawns into their dustbins. Sometimes we chase after them and make them to remove the rubbish but they will return the next day to do the same,” one of the security guards said.
It is unclear when the renovation works will finish and if it will be open to the public. If it is, will it be at a cost? Many Lagosians are already thinking up several uses for the edifice apart from a spot for relaxation. According to Victor, a banker in one of the new generation banks in the neighborhood: “It will be a good place to meet a date, conduct business deals and generally get out of the chaos of the city without leaving the city.”
However, with the enthusiasm the Square is generating especially from abroad, it is set to become an iconic landmark for Lagos in the years to come.
