Royal family urges Sanwo-Olu to install Oloja

File: Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

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The Akinsanya Olojo Family, a branch of the King Kosoko Royal Dynasty in Lagos, has appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to approve the installation of Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko as the next Oloja of Lagos.

The family said Prince Abiola was duly selected as Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, but remains uninstalled more than four years after his emergence.

The family made the call in a statement addressed to the governor and copied to the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, and the Council of Heads of the Kosoko Royal Family.

In the statement made available to The PUNCH, the General Secretary of the Akinsanya Olojo-Kosoko Ruling House, Prince Theophilus Olojo-Kosoko, reaffirmed the family’s position.

He noted that a follow-up letter, dated November 28, 2025, had also been submitted to all relevant authorities, seeking urgent action on the matter.

According to the statement, the stool became vacant following the death of Chief Adebola Ige on December 23, 2017.

After a 16-man committee reviewed the succession process, the King Kosoko Royal Family formally directed the Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House to present a candidate in line with customary and chieftaincy procedures.

The screening and traditional interviews, held at the Kosoko Palace on October 7, 2020, involved four candidates: Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, the late Prince Shola Olojo-Kosoko, Prince Issa Adeyemi Aregbesola, and Mr. Abiola Yakubu Aromashodu of the Odunsi Ruling House.

According to the statement, the kingmakers concluded that Prince Abiola was the most suitable and declared him Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, in accordance with the Lagos State Obas and Chiefs Law and the subsisting 1983 Registered Declaration.

The family stressed that neither the judgment of Justice Obadina of the Lagos State High Court nor that of the Court of Appeal nullified the 1983 Registered Declaration, which outlines the succession order. Letters dated September 26, 2023, and February 20, 2024, were sent to the state government reaffirming their compliance with all required procedures, yet no installation approval has been issued.

“At this stage, we are compelled to state clearly and firmly that it is the descendants of King Kosoko, the 10th King of Lagos and the first Oloja of Lagos, who are entitled to the throne,” the statement reads. “The Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House is next in line to present a candidate, and this tradition should be sustained for the dignity of the stool and in accordance with the Akarigbere class hierarchy.”

The family urged the governor to intervene and prevent what they described as attempts to impose a candidate outside the provisions of the 1983 Registered Declaration. They also expressed willingness to engage with the state government to resolve any concerns causing the delay.

“We hope to be invited for discussions to address the prolonged delay in the confirmation and installation of Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko,” the statement added. “As responsible members of the royal family, we shall continue to conduct ourselves respectfully and in accordance with the laws guiding chieftaincy affairs in Lagos State.”

Gbenga has been covering Metro, politics and education beats for two years as a print and digital journalist

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