Efunsetan Aniwura

Chief madam Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà (c. 1820s–June 30, 1874) was the second Iyalode of Ibadan, a high-ranking female chieftain in most of the Yoruba traditional states. She is also regarded as one of the leading slave dealers in the 19th century in Ibadan.  Her influence was felt in Ibadan's political, military, economic, and religious realms. She became known as a brilliant trader and merchant. She was known for being the most wealthy and powerful Yoruba woman to have ever lived. Historians have characterized her as a powerful ruler who frequently executed disobedient slaves. This has been attributed to a psychiatric breakdown brought on by the loss of her only child and her subsequent infertility.http://www.oasisinternationaljournal.org/journals/2014/Arts%202014/Women%20in%20Nigeria%20History%20and%20Evaluation%20of%20the%20Place%20of%20and%20Values%20accorded%20to%20women%20in%20Nigeria.pdf https://www.pulse.ng/gist/efunsetan-aniwura-the-most-powerful-woman-in-the-yoruba-kingdom/mkt0xke

Early life
Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà  was born in Ikija-Egba land in 1820s, Her family later moved to Ibadan after the fall of Ikija. Her mother was from Ile-Ife, while her father, Chief Ogunrin, was an Ikija warrior. Her mother, who used to be a small-time trader, was said to have passed down her entrepreneurial spirit to her. Along with her regular accompanies her mother to the major markets in Abeokuta helped her to succeed as a trader. She was married multiple times and had a child, who later died at a very tender age. This event was said to have influenced her life, both positively and negatively https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=jtb   https://www.umes.edu/uploadedFiles/_WEBSITES/AJCJS/Content/6%201%202%20okunola%20and%20ojo%20proof.pdf

Career
According to a writer, Olawale Idowu believes that Aniwura's choice to move to Ibadan was motivated by two factors: first, at the time, her cousin was a prominent leader in the city. Second, she could launch a successful business there because Ibadan was at the time a more entrepreneurial town than other places. She then had multiple farmlands and about 2,000 slaves that helped her on the farm. exporting agricultural products to Porto-Novo, Badagry, and Ikorodu. Her major kinds of trade were slavery and the production of tobacco. She also produced Kijipa, a local cosmetic shipped to America.

Reference

Category:1874 deaths
Category:1820s births
Category:Slavers
Category:Nigerian businesspeople
Category:Murder victims