Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

Annually, the people of Iba in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State roll out the drums to celebrate twins. The programme, Twins Festival, otherwise known as “Odun Ibeji,” is to honour and celebrate twins.

This year’s celebration was unique in all ramifications. Indigenes, home and abroad, especially twins converged on the town for the event.

Like Igboora, a community in Oyo State, with large number or twins, Iba is also blessed with a good number of twins. Research has shown that Iba is likely to be a town with large number of twins after Igboora. Almost all the families in the town have twins as members.

Like in any Yoruba community, twins in Iba are not allowed to eat monkeys, because of the traditional belief that monkeys are also sets of twins. In fact, twins are encouraged to rear monkeys as pets, and most families do rear them by given them pet names.

The palace of the Eburu of Iba, Oba (Prof) Adekunle Okunoye Oyedeji, who himself is a father of twins, was a beehive of activities. The twins both old and young appeared in similar attires and danced round the town.

Traditional musicians and drummers led the twins in the road show and added glamour to the event as they eulogised twins. Parents of twins also took time to dance round the town, even as many carried their twins while dancing. Traditional and honorary chiefs joined in dancing round the town and many of them carried monkeys and other objects that symbolised twins.

Oba Oyedeji explained that the rationale behind the celebration was to honour the twins and pray to God for more blessings for the town. He said the culture and tradition of the people would be promoted during his reign: “No level of civilisation can abort the tradition of the town.

“As the traditional ruler, I am father to all categories of people and religious leaders in the town. I will continue to give proper recognition to all the three major religions being practised in the town. The celebration has no under tone whatsoever.

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“It is just a day set aside to celebrate the twins and appreciate God for blessing the town with many of them.”

Oba Abdulahi Adetoyese Ejalonibu, the traditional head of the Ogboni fraternity worldwide, said:

“Twins are special beings and we must adore them. God created everything in double. We have two hands and two legs, two eyes and two ears. That is to tell you that when you see things in double they should be celebrated.”

He called on government to promote culture and tourism, adding that the tourism sector is capable of boosting the revenue of any nation.

Taiwo and Kehinde Odeyemi told Daily Sun that they are fortunate to be twins, adding that the love shown to them by relatives and strangers are uncommon.

Taiwo and Kehinde Olabode who won the dancing competition said: “God brought us to this world as twins and we have since been living together. The two of us are married now, yet we remain together as one.

Despite our marriages to different men, we still wear the same clothes and use similar things.

“Many times we don’t tell ourselves what to use but we just discover that we use the same thing. We love ourselves and we are fortunate to marry and live here in our town.”