Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Jide Kosoko, has been announced as the Oloja of Lagos-elect by the King Kosoko Royal Family.
The traditional title became vacant following the death of Chief Adebola Ige on December 23, 2017. Kosoko, 72, was officially presented at the King Kosoko Palace in Ereko, Lagos Island, during a ceremony attended by royal family members and supporters.
The declaration was made by the Olori Ebi General of the King Kosoko Royal Family, Mrs Mutiat Ali-Balogun. In keeping with palace tradition, she publicly raised Kosoko’s hand, offering prayers and performing customary rites. The Deputy Olori Ebi General, Oyindamola Ayepola, who also heads the Meshimo Ruling House, stood in support during the event.
The announcement comes at a time of unresolved disagreement within the wider King Kosoko Royal Dynasty over the succession to the Oloja stool. Another branch of the family, the Akinsanya Olojo Family, has appealed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to approve the installation of Abiola Olojo-Kosoko as Oloja of Lagos.
The Akinsanya Olojo Family maintains that Abiola Olojo-Kosoko was chosen as Oloja-elect on December 12, 2020, but remains uninstalled more than four years later. The family conveyed its position in a formal letter to the governor in December 2025, with copies sent to several state authorities, including the Secretary to the State Government, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, 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.
Providing further clarification, the General Secretary of the Akinsanya Olojo-Kosoko Ruling House, Theophilus Olojo-Kosoko, disclosed that a follow-up letter dated November 28, 2025, was also submitted to seek urgent government intervention.
He explained that after the passing of Chief Ige, a 16-member committee was set up to oversee the succession process. Based on the committee’s findings, the King Kosoko Royal Family reportedly instructed the Akinsanya Olojo Ruling House to nominate a candidate in line with established customs and chieftaincy laws.
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According to him, traditional screenings and interviews conducted at the Kosoko Palace on October 7, 2020, involved four contenders: Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, the late Shola Olojo-Kosoko, Issa Aregbesola, and Abiola Aromashodu of the Odunsi Ruling House. He added that the kingmakers later declared Abiola Olojo-Kosoko as Oloja-elect in accordance with the Lagos State Obas and Chiefs Law and the 1983 Registered Declaration.
Kosoko is expected to undergo the necessary traditional rites, including formal installation and capping by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, in line with palace customs and state traditions.
Kosoko, a graduate of Business Administration from Yaba College of Technology, began his acting career in 1964 as a child actor in the television production Makanjuola. Over the years, he has featured in numerous English and Yoruba-language films, earning widespread respect as one of Nollywood’s most enduring veterans.