Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Prince Jide Kosoko has been formally declared the Oloja of Lagos-elect, marking a major development in the long-running succession process for one of Lagos State’s most historic traditional stools.
The declaration was made on Tuesday, January 28, 2026, by the King Kosoko Royal Family at the King Kosoko Palace in Ereko, Lagos Island, during a traditional gathering attended by royal family members, elders, and supporters.
The stool of the Oloja of Lagos has remained vacant since the death of Chief Adebola Ige in December 2017, creating years of uncertainty and internal deliberations within the Kosoko royal lineage.
At the palace ceremony, Mrs. Mutiat Ali-Balogun, the Olori Ebi General of the King Kosoko Royal Family, officially presented Jide Kosoko as the Oloja-elect in line with established palace customs. She was joined by Mrs. Oyindamola Ayepola, Deputy Olori Ebi General and head of the Meshimo Ruling House, reinforcing the family’s position on the succession.
The Oloja of Lagos is a significant traditional title within the Kosoko dynasty, historically linked to leadership, cultural preservation, and community representation in Lagos (Eko). The role carries symbolic and cultural authority, rooted in pre-colonial Lagos history.
While the declaration establishes Kosoko as Oloja-elect, it does not yet amount to a full installation.
Customary procedure requires that the Oloja-elect be formally installed and capped by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, before assuming the full status of the title. As of now, no official date has been announced for this final stage of the process.
Until that ceremony takes place, Kosoko’s status remains elect, pending completion of traditional rites.
Prince Jide Kosoko is not only a member of the Kosoko royal family but also one of Nigeria’s most respected cultural figures. He began acting in the 1960s and has appeared in hundreds of Yoruba and English-language films, earning recognition as one of Nollywood’s longest-serving actors.
His emergence as Oloja-elect places a prominent public figure at the center of Lagos’s traditional leadership discourse, blending cultural heritage with contemporary relevance.
It is important to note that succession within the Kosoko royal family has not been entirely without contention. Other branches of the family have, in previous years, supported alternative candidates and petitioned relevant authorities for recognition.
These parallel claims highlight the complexity of traditional succession in Lagos, where family lineage, customary law, and state recognition often intersect.
