by Favour Richard
Igbo ora ,a popular place in Oya state ,is the twin capital of the world because of the highest rate of twin’s birth.
There are many good and unique tales from Igbo-Ora, a historical city in Oyo State. The most important tale is that the ancient town is a melting pot of twin birth. Truly, the town is reputable among neighbouring communities in Oyo State, Yoruba land, Nigeria and Africa because of the multiple birth record of twins and triplets in virtually every household.
The frequency of the multiple births is attracting the world, especially researchers and also makes the city worthy of enlisting in the Guinness Book of Record.
Of course, Oba Jimoh Titiloye, Olu of Igbo-Ora, the paramount ruler of the community, is excited at the community’s natural endowment, which is really rare across the world. According to him, 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 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 1,000 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 monarch, Yoruba twins are a special gift from God because they are harbingers of good things and possess what other children do not have.
“Twins are unique creations that are very important, and we Yorubas also count them worthy, God created them in unique ways”, the Alaafin explained.
“Yorubas believe that giving birth to twins brings happiness to the family that is why everybody wants to associate with them either having them as children or as an associate, this makes them have adoring names that are different from all other children”.