Taiwo Olowo

Chief Daniel Conrad Taiwo, (1781-1901), alias Taiwo Olowo, was a son of Oluwole the Olofin of Isheri, and became a highly successful trader, philanthropist and community leader.

He came to Lagos in 1848 as an apprentice basket maker and made a fortune in business. The Taiwo Olowo cenotaph was erected over his tomb by the Brazilian-Lagosian master builder Senhor Jorge DaCosta in 1905. Its plaques were said to have been forged from the melting of hundreds of copper pennies. His family house is still located across the street from the monument, and still belongs to his descendants. Its name, Iga Taiwo Olowo, literally translates to ‘Palace of Taiwo the Rich Man’.

Taiwo died in 1901 at age 120.

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