Understanding the Offa Ancestry Claim Around Tinubu’s Mother

I distinguish between being an indigene of Offa in Kwara State and having Offa ancestry, known as Iran Ọlọfa. Every Offa indigene is Iran Ọlọfa, but not every Iran Ọlọfa person is from Offa. For example, Portable is described as Iran Ọlọfa but is from Ogun State. Yorùbá people may answer several oríkì because of paternal and maternal family roots. A person whose father has links to both Irra and Offa, and whose mother has roots in two other towns, may legitimately claim four ancestral oríkì. This explains why prominent Yoruba figures can be associated with more than one community. A 2001 eulogy by Sikiru Ayinde Barrister reportedly referred to the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji as Iran Ọlọfa, and this was acknowledged by her and her son. The key question is therefore how her family was connected to Offa. An Offa community committee once traced Iran Ọlọfa descendants across different locations, and its findings could help clarify the ancestry claim.

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