Quote from Guest on August 15, 2023, 10:48 am

HISTORY OF IGBO-ORA: The land of twins

Igbo-Ora is a historical city in Oyo state, South West, Nigeria and the major economic activity is Farming. The most important tale is that the ancient town is a melting point of twin birth. Truly the town is reputable among neighboring communities in Oyo State, Yoruba land, Nigeria and Africa because of the multiple birth of twins and triplets in virtually every household.

The frequency of multiple births is attracting the world, especially researchers and also makes the city worthy of enlisting in the Guinness Book of Record.

Oba Jimoh Titiloye, Olu of Igbo-Ora is the paramount ruler of the community. And according to the king, many researchers are still trying to unravel the mystery behind multiple twin births in Igbo-ora, adding that it might be either the environment or the food people of Igbo-Ora eat that make them to give birth to many twins, making the town the world’s twin capital.

Oba Titiloye noted that a study conducted by a British gynecologist, Patrick Nylander, from 1972-1982 recorded an average of 45 to 50 sets of twins per 1000 births in the South West of Nigeria, and there are about 30 times more in Igbo-Ora than there are in the whole of Europe.

According to the King, Yoruba twins are a special gift from God because they are harbingers of good things and possess what other children do not have.

According to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) article, there are about 158 twins per 1,000 new born in Igbo-ora, the twin’s capital of the world compared to 5 twins per 1,000 newborns in Europe.

In Igbo-ora, nearly every household has a history of giving birth to twins or other multiples, people attributed the predominance of twins in Igbo-Ora to a meal, Amala and Ilasa, morsel meals that combine yam powder (agida) and okra leave soup, yams contain gonadotrophins, a chemical that helps women produce multiple eggs”, he said.

Once again, the historical city of Igbo-Ora will be bubbling on October 14, 2023 as people from all walks of life coverage in the ancient town to celebrate this year’s edition of the annual Igbo-Ora World Twins Festival.

The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde who doubles as the host of the festival is expected to welcome all participants to the grand finale at the festival arena, Methodist Grammar School Field, Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria.

The statement further stated that the grand finale which is the Twins Pilgrimage Day will feature twins’ talent show, twins fashion show, cooking contest, twins’ cuisines, display of some ageless twins’ statues, twins and cultural performances among others.

The festival will be put together by Twins World Creations in Conjunction with Igbo-Ora Community Foundation to showcase the tourism and cultural potential of the community, which are worth enlisting in the Guinness Book of Record.

The uniqueness of the annual event is the presence of over 3000 set of twins from different parts of the country to grace the ceremony.

The year festival which is still available for sponsorship and brand representations is jointly organized by Twins World Creations (TWC intercontinental) in conjunction with Igbo-Ora Community Foundation and the entire Igbo-Ora Community with the Oyo State Government.