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The King Kosoko Royal Family has officially announced veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Jide Kosoko as the Oloja of Lagos-elect, filling a position that has been vacant since the passing of Chief Adebola Ige on December 23, 2017.
At a ceremony held at the King Kosoko Palace in Ereko, Lagos Island, Kosoko, 72, was formally presented to the royal assembly, which included family members, palace officials, and well-wishers. The Olori Ebi General of the King Kosoko Royal Family, Mrs. Mutiat Ali-Balogun, raised Kosoko’s hand in affirmation in accordance with palace tradition, accompanied by prayers and customary rites. She was supported by Deputy Olori Ebi General Oyindamola Ayepola, who also heads the Meshimo Ruling House.
Kosoko’s declaration comes amid a longstanding succession dispute within the broader Kosoko Royal Dynasty. Another branch, the Akinsanya Olojo Family, has repeatedly petitioned Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to approve the installation of their nominee, Abiola Olojo-Kosoko. In December 2025, the family maintained that Abiola Olojo-Kosoko had been selected as Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, yet had not been formally installed more than four years later.
The Akinsanya Olojo Family formally submitted their appeal to the governor, copying it to key state officials including the Secretary to the State Government, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, among others.
The General Secretary of the Akinsanya Olojo-Kosoko Ruling House, Theophilus Olojo-Kosoko, detailed the family’s position, noting that a follow-up letter dated November 28, 2025, called for urgent government intervention. He explained that after Chief Ige’s death, a 16-member committee was tasked with reviewing the succession process.
According to Olojo-Kosoko, the committee instructed the Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House to present a nominee in line with customary and chieftaincy laws. Four aspirants underwent screening and traditional interviews at Kosoko Palace on October 7, 2020: Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, the late Shola Olojo-Kosoko, Issa Aregbesola, and Abiola Aromashodu of the Odunsi Ruling House. The kingmakers reportedly determined that Abiola Olojo-Kosoko was the most qualified and officially declared him Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, in accordance with the Lagos State Obas and Chiefs Law and the 1983 Registered Declaration.
Meanwhile, Jide Kosoko is set to undergo the formal installation and capping ceremony, which will be conducted by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, in keeping with palace protocols and state traditions.
Kosoko, a Business Administration graduate from Yaba College of Technology, began his acting career in 1964 as a child actor in the television production Makanjuola. Over the decades, he has built a distinguished career in both English and Yoruba Nollywood films, earning recognition as one of Nigeria’s most respected and celebrated screen veterans.
His appointment as Oloja-elect adds a new chapter to the Lagos monarchy, blending his decades-long public influence with a prominent traditional role, even as debates over succession continue to stir interest within the royal family and the wider public.
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