Family Set to Immortalise King Kosoko of Lagos
Ferdinand Ekechukwu
The Kosoko Descendants Youth Forum, the umbrella body of the youths born into the royal family of the late Oba of Lagos, Oba Kosoko, is set to immortalise the late monarch.
As part of the plans to immortalise the late Oba, who reigned from 1845–1851, the family has concluded arrangements to organise an annual lecture.
The inaugural edition of the lecture, with the theme ‘The Travail and Triumph of King Kosoko: Lesson for Today’s Leaders’, is scheduled to hold at the Glover Memorial Hall, Marina Lagos on Sunday July 29, 2018.
The family had on Thursday, July 19, 2018, held a rally in Lagos Island to herald the celebration of the life and times of King Kosoko, paying homage to virtually all the white-cap chiefs’, palaces, houses of notable personalities and to embassies and some corporate organisations on Lagos Island.
Speaking during a press conference in Lagos to unveil the maiden edition of the lecture, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the first King Kosoko Memorial Lecture, Prince Abiola Kosoko, stated that the lecture was designed to describe and project late Oba Kosoko’s personality.
“The memorial lecture was designed to be an annual event with basic theme that will describe and project the personality of Kosoko as a King, ‘Oloja’ and Prince as well as in-depth analysis of his antecedents throughout his life time”, he stated.
The event which is subdivided into three sessions will have a paper presentation, socio-cultural parade, and exhibition of King Kosoko’s relics at a temporary museum set up at the venue of the event.
“This year’s King Kosoko memorial lecture will also provide the required ambient to exhibit some of these relics for public to appreciate. The relics to be exhibited shall include slave chains. The idea behind this exhibition is to immortalise the historical remains of King Kosoko for tourism purpose.
“The Kosoko Youth Forum for over a decade has been gathering relics of this great man towards the establishment of King Kosoko Memorial Museum.
“Most of those things are things that will be exhibited for people to see. And that takes us through descendants of King Kosoko because we have those things in our possessions.
"We shall also be exhibiting the 48 most important slave letters of King Kosoko that tells about how he was able to set people outside Lagos to educate them in West Indies.
" Also human skulls and other relics of King Kosoko’s shrines that made people to see King Kosoko as a thin king that was worshipped.”
According to Prince Kosoko, the paper presentation is the major activity of the memorial event. Scholars are expected to give in-depth papers on the person King Kosoko within and outside Lagos.
He said, "But the good thing is that other people will come and talk about it so it’s not going to be the Kosokos’s own idea or the Kosokos’ way of presenting matters. So it’s going to be a collective thing from Hausas, Yorubas, Ibos within Lagos and outside Lagos.
“The socio-cultural parade will provide a platform for indigenous cultural parade that emanated during the reign of King Kosoko and those that got prominence as a result of his person.
"On the proposed King Kosoko Memorial Museum, the LOC chairman stated that the monument would house and preserve the relics and historical materials of the late king.
“In addition, we shall also be giving awards to individuals and corporate organizations that have continuously support and protect the fabric of indigenous Lagos heritage”.
The keynote speaker for the memorial lecture is Princess Adetope Kosoko, the former Registrar of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), while Mr Supo Sasore, former Lagos State Commissioner for Justice, would be presenting the lead paper.
Dr. Michael Olusegun Fajuyigbe of the Department of Fine Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Mr Kehinde Adepegba, department of Art and Industrial Design, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu; Prince Abiola Olojo-Kosoko, Managing Director, Origin Gardens; Prince Jide Kosoko, veteran Nollywood actor, and others shall be presenting papers on the theme.
His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, would be the Distinguished Guest of Honour; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Special Guest of Honour and His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Osuolale Aremu Akiolu,Oba of Lagos, is the Distinguished Royal Father of The Day at the lecture. Other guests expected at the lecture are Chief Abiola Dosumu, the Erelu of Lagos, Prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi and Alhaja Mutiat Alli-Balogun.